A Comparative Study of some Methods for Measuring Cell Growth Potentials inVigna radiataHypocotyl,in situand after Excision

Abstract

Prat, R. 1985. A comparative study of some methods for measuring cell growth potentials in Vigna radiata hypocotyl, in situ and after excision.—J. exp. Bot. 36: 1150–1158. Accurate estimations of growth rates are required to understand the development of physiological and biochemical parameters involved in growth processes. Growth measurements can be made either ‘in situ’ on whole seedlings by marking successive levels or ‘in vitro’, after excision of successive hypocotyl segments. These different methods have been compared in order to determine which measurements allow one to assess accurately the normal growth characteristics. In vitro measurements performed with excised segments required a prolonged incubation period before stable growth rates were achieved. The growth potentials of the successive hypocotyl levels remain unchanged after excision. These in vitro measurements can therefore be used to assess the growth characteristics of cells in hypocotyls.