The development of anastomosed laticifers in the stem apical meristem and vascular cambium of Hancornia speciosa (Apocynaceae) is related to climatic seasonality

Some plant species allow the cutting of the apical meristem in order to assist activities of genetic improvement programs, among them is the soybean. The objective was to verify if the removal of the apical meristem of soybean plants induces any alteration in the stem anatomy, since it was verified that the removal of the apical meristem reduces the need for tutoring of the plants cultivated under greenhouse conditions. The experiment was conducted with plants of the BRSMG 752S cultivar and the treatments consisted of sections of the hypocotyl region of plants that had undergone apical meristem removal at the V2 development stage and of plants without apical meristem removal. The permanent slides were processed following the usual methodologies in plant anatomy. Descriptions and measurements of anatomical tissues were made for comparison between treatments. Plants with removal presented epidermis as a covering tissue until 20 days after the V2 development stage, while plants without removal of the apical meristem presented it until 30 days after V2. Periderm was observed only in plants with removal, and this feature was not evident in plants without removal until 30 days after V2. There was formation of secondary vascular tissues in the collections 30 days after removal (V2 stage). Thus, we conclude that the removal of the apical meristem accelerates the secondary development in hypocotyls of soybean plants grown under greenhouse conditions.

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SEM study of the morphological effects of kinetin and zeatin on the growth and development of the apical meristem in wheat

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100141263 ◽

1995 ◽

Vol 53 ◽

pp. 978-979

Author(s):

G. M. Hutchins ◽

J. S. Gardner

Keyword(s):

Growth And Development ◽

Furfuryl Alcohol ◽

Apical Meristem ◽

Plant Cells ◽

Triticum Aestivum L ◽

Morphological Development ◽

Naturally Occurring ◽

Chinese Spring Wheat ◽

Sem Study ◽

Moist Environment

Cytokinins are plant hormones that play a large and incompletely understood role in the life-cycle of plants. The goal of this study was to determine what roles cytokinins play in the morphological development of wheat. To achieve any real success in altering the development and growth of wheat, the cytokinins must be applied directly to the apical meristem, or spike of the plant. It is in this region that the plant cells are actively undergoing mitosis. Kinetin and Zeatin were the two cytokinins chosen for this experiment. Kinetin is an artificial hormone that was originally extracted from old or heated DNA. Kinetin is easily made from the reaction of adenine and furfuryl alcohol. Zeatin is a naturally occurring hormone found in corn, wheat, and many other plants.Chinese Spring Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) was used for this experiment. Prior to planting, the seeds were germinated in a moist environment for 72 hours.

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