Skip Navigation


AOBPreview originally published online on August 8, 2007
Annals of Botany 2007 100(4):791-796; doi:10.1093/aob/mcm164
This Article
Right arrow Full Text Freely available
Right arrow FREE Full Text (PDF) Freely available
Right arrow Content Select
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
100/4/791    most recent
mcm164v1
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in ISI Web of Science
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Wawrecki, W.
Right arrow Articles by Zagórska-Marek, B.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Wawrecki, W.
Right arrow Articles by Zagórska-Marek, B.
Agricola
Right arrow Articles by Wawrecki, W.
Right arrow Articles by Zagórska-Marek, B.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?


© The Author 2007. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Annals of Botany Company. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

Influence of a Weak DC Electric Field on Root Meristem Architecture

Wojciech Wawrecki* and Beata Zagórska-Marek

Institute of Plant Biology, University of Wroclaw, Kanonia 6/8, 50-328 Wroclaw, Poland

* For correspondence. E-mail wwawrecki{at}o2.pl

Received: 30 March 2007    Returned for revision: 23 April 2007    Accepted: 12 June 2007    Published electronically: 8 August 2007

Background and Aims: Electric fields are an important environmental factor that can influence the development of plants organs. Such a field can either inhibit or stimulate root growth, and may also affect the direction of growth. Many developmental processes directly or indirectly depend upon the activity of the root apical meristem (RAM). The aim of this work was to examine the effects of a weak electric field on the organization of the RAM.

Methods: Roots of Zea mays seedlings, grown in liquid medium, were exposed to DC electric fields of different strengths from 0·5 to 1·5 V cm–1, with a frequency of 50 Hz, for 3 h. The roots were sampled for anatomical observation immediately after the treatment, and after 24 and 48 h of further undisturbed growth.

Key Results: DC fields of 1 and 1·5 V cm–1 resulted in noticeable changes in the cellular pattern of the RAM. The electric field activated the quiescent centre (QC): the cells of the QC penetrated the root cap junction, disturbing the organization of the closed meristem and changing it temporarily into the open type.

Conclusions: Even a weak electric field disturbs the pattern of cell divisions in plant root meristem. This in turn changes the global organization of the RAM. A field of slightly higher strength also damages root cap initials, terminating their division.

Key words: Electric field, root apical meristem, quiescent centre, polar auxin transport, Zea mays


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?




Disclaimer: Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.