Abstract
Root tips from aluminium (Al) tolerant (Waalt) and Al sensitive (Warigal) wheat (Triticum aestivum (L). Thell.) cultivars exposed to low concentrations of Al (10 μM) for 10, 24 and 72 hours were examined under the light and electron microscope. After fixing and embedding, longitudinal and transverse thin and ultrathin sections were cut. There was no evidence of Al damage to the root tips of the Al tolerant cultivar under both the light and electron microscope. For the Al sensitive cultivar, Al had no observable effect on the root tips 10 hours after Al addition when examined under the light microscope. When examined under an electron microscope, electron dense globular deposits were observed between the cell wall and cell membrane of the epidermal cells. There was not obvious damage to the cell cytoplasm. Two or 3 days after Al addition, light microscopy showed that the cells in the root tips had become swollen and extensively vacuolated. The tissues appeared disorganised and degenerate, particularly in the epidermis and outer cortical cells. The electron microscope also revealed a thickening of the cell wall. The cell wall was broken down, particularly in the epidermis in the region 4–6 mm from the root tip. The tissue in the meristematic area was largely intact.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bennet R J, Breen C M and Fey M V 1984 The primary site of aluminium injury in the root of Zea mays L. S. Afr. J. Plant and Soil 2, 8–17.
Edmeades D C, Wheeler D M and Christie R A 1991 The effect of aluminum and pH on the growth of a range of temperature grass species and cultivars. In Plant-Soil Interactions at Low pH. Eds. R J Wright, V C Baligar and R P Murrmann. pp 913–924. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, The Netherlands.
Hecht-Buchholz C, Jorns C A and Keil P 1987 Effect of excess aluminium and manganese on Norway spruce seedlings as related to magnesium nutrition. J. Plant Nutr. 10, 9–16.
Hodson M J and Wilkins D A 1991 Localization of aluminium in the roots of Norway Spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst) inoculated with Paxillus involutus Fr. New Phytol. 118, 273–278.
Hult M, Bengtsson B, Larsson N P O and Yuang C 1992 PIXE-microanalysis of root samples from Beech (Fagus Sylvatica). Scanning Microsc. submitted.
Parker D R, Zelazny L W and Kinraide T B 1987 Improvements to the program GEOCHEM. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. 51, 488–491.
Puthota V, Cruz-Ortega R, Johnson J and Ownby J 1991 An ultrastructural study of the inhibition on mucilage secretion in the wheat root cap in aluminium. In Plant-Soil Interactions at Low pH. Eds. R J Wright, V C Baligar and R P Murrmann. pp 779–787. Kluwer Academic Publishers. Dordrecht. The Netherlands.
Sposito G and Mattigod S V 1980 GEOCHEM: A computer program for the calculation of chemical equilibria in soil solution and other natural water systems. Kearney Foundation of Soil Science, University of California, Riverside.
Wagatsuma T, Kaneko M and Hayasaka Y 1987 Destruction process of plant root cells by aluminium. Soil Sci. Plant Nutr. 33, 161–175.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Wheeler, D.M., Wild, D.J.C. & Edmeades, D.C. Preliminary results from a microscopic examination on the effects of aluminium on the root tips of wheat. Plant Soil 146, 83–87 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00011999
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00011999