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Starch Storage in C 4 vs. C 3 Grass Leaf Cells as Related to Nitrogen Defeciency 1
Author(s) -
Gallaher R. N.,
Brown R. H.
Publication year - 1977
Publication title -
crop science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.76
H-Index - 147
eISSN - 1435-0653
pISSN - 0011-183X
DOI - 10.2135/cropsci1977.0011183x001700010024x
Subject(s) - starch , vascular bundle , biology , chloroplast , paspalum notatum , botany , nitrogen , cell wall , festuca arundinacea , poaceae , agronomy , horticulture , biochemistry , chemistry , organic chemistry , gene
Starch has been shown to accumulate in chloroplasts of plant cells and carbohydrates have been shown to accumulate in leaves of nitrogen (N) deficient plants. No information could be found on the localization of starch in various cell types in relation to N nutrition. Therefore, this study was conducted under greenhouse conditions to determine this relationship in a species having the C 4 Pathway of CO 2 fixation, bahiagrass ( Paspalum nolatum L. Flugge cv. ‘Pensicola’), vs. a species having the C 3 Pathway, tall fescue ( Festuca mundinacea Schreb. cv. ‘Kentucky 31’). Leaf sections from N deficient and well fertilized plants were stained with iodine (I) to observe starch localization. Starch was concentrated in bundle sheath cells of bahiagrass but not in tall fescue. Bundle sheath cells of N deficient bahiagrass were almost completely stained with I, indicating large quantities of stored starch. Bundle sheath cells of N sufficient leaves of bahiagrass were either not stained with I or only slightly stained indicating much less starch storage. Starch stained with I occurred on chloroplasts in mesophyll tissue of tall fescue but no relationship with N was observed.