The anatomy of secondary morphogenesis in cultured scutellum tissues ofSorghum bicolor

Summary

Cells of the scutellum of immature embryos ofSorghum bicolor plated onto an agar medium containing 2,4-D give rise to shoots and embryo-like structures and to some callus. Some of the embryo-like structures later develop into typical sorghum embryos complete with scutellum, coleoptile and coleorhiza. The results of anatomical studies of the development of these secondary growth forms by light and scanning electron microscopy suggest that shoots and embryo-like structures can arise directly from cells of the primary scutellum without an intervening callus phase. In some cases it appears that the scutellum of the secondary embryos arises by folding of the scutellum of the sexual embryo and does not arisede novo. In other cases the structures arise from single cells. No evidence was found to indicate that organized structures arose from proliferating callus cells. The unorganized callus which arises initially is not capable of growth through continuous subculture; it produces a purple-black pigment and rapidly becomes necrotic. The significance of these observations is discussed in relation to present views on morphogenesis in cereal cell cultures and their implications forin vitro cell genetics.