New Zealand Journal of Botany abstract
B97028
Received 4 June 1997; accepted 20 October 1997
New Zealand Journal of Botany, 1998, Vol. 36: 113-123
0028-825X/98/3601-113 $7.00 (c) The Royal Society of New Zealand 1998
Observations on the leaf anatomy of Festuca novae-zelandiae and
biochemical responses to a water deficit
GRANT A. ABERNETHY
Plant Molecular Genetics Laboratory
AgResearch Grasslands
Private Bag 11008
Palmerston North, New Zealand
Institute of Molecular BioSciences
Massey University
Private Bag 11222
Palmerston North, New Zealand
DAVID W. FOUNTAIN
Institute of Molecular BioSciences
Massey University
Private Bag 11222
Palmerston North, New Zealand
MICHAEL T. MCMANUS*
Plant Molecular Genetics Laboratory
AgResearch Grasslands
Private Bag 11008
Palmerston North,New Zealand
*Present address: Institute of Molecular BioSciences, Massey University,
Private Bag 11222, Palmerston North, New Zealand.
Abstract An examination using scanning electron microscopy,
of the leaf anatomy of the New Zealand native tussock grass
Festuca
novae-zelandiae,
has been undertaken to highlight adaptations
implicated in water-deficit-stress avoidance. The leaves are curled to form a
tight cylinder enclosing a void region which is densely packed with trichomes.
This region is continuous with the atmosphere via a narrow leaf margin gap, the
aperture of which may be controlled by the relative turgidity of bulliform
cells located between vascular ribs. Stomata are located only on the adaxial
(inside) surface of the leaf. The leaves are fibrous because of the presence of
numerous sclerenchyma (fibre) cells which, in the leaves examined, formed an
almost continuous circle of bundles. When subjected to a water deficit, a
preferential accumulation (compared on a per dry weight of tissue basis) of the
osmoprotectant proline was observed in the leaf base, when compared with the
immature or mature laminae. Conversely, the phytohormone abscisic acid
accumulated to a greater extent in the immature and mature laminae in
comparison with the leaf base.
Keywords Festuca novae-zelandiae; abscisic
acid; leaf anatomy; leaf morphology; proline; water-deficit stress
Abbreviations ABA = abscisic acid, BSA = bovine serum
albumin, ELISA = enzyme linked immunosorbent assay, IL = immature lamina, LB =
leaf base, MAb = monoclonal antibody, ML = mature lamina, PBSalt = 50 mM
phosphate buffer, pH 7.4, containing 250 mM NaCl, RWC = relative leaf
water content, SWC = soil water content.
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