DIFFERENTIATION AND MATURATION OF PRIMARY TISSUES IN WHITE MUSTARD ROOT TIPS

Abstract

Roots of white mustard (Sinapis alba) were grown either on moist filter paper or in aerated or non-aerated water culture, and detailed measurements of rates of tissue differentiation and maturation were made from sectioned and fresh material. The variation in these rates is shown for a number of roots of each treatment and a comparison made between treatments. The sequence of differentiation and maturation of tissues in this root is similar to that reported previously for other dicotyledonous roots. Differentiated and matured tissues were found closer to the apex in slower growing roots, the differences being more pronounced in some tissues between the treatments. This is discussed in relation to the nutrition of the root.