Paclobutrazol-induced Leaf, Stem, and Root Anatomical Modifications in Potato

By Tekalign Tsegaw, S. Hammes, J. Robbertse. 2005

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Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) treatment with paclobutrazol resulted in short and compact plants having dark green and thicker leaves, and wider stem and root diameters. Investigating the underlying anatomical modifi cations in response to the treatment was the objective of the study. Plants of potato cultivar BP 1 were treated with 0, 45.0, 67.5, and 90.0 mg paclobutrazol per plant as a foliar spray. A month after treatment leaf, stem and root materials were taken from the control and plants treated with 67.5 mg paclobutrazol, and histological observations were made using light microscope. Leaves of treated plants showed an increased chlorophyll a and b contents, thicker epicuticular wax layer, elongated and thicker epidermal, palisade and spongy mesophyll cells. paclobutrazol increased stem diameter by about 58% due to induction of thicker cortex, larger vascular bundles, and wider pith diameter associated with larger pith cells. Widening the cortex and the induction of more secondary xylem vessels in response to paclobutrazol treatment increased the root diameter by about 52%. Paclobutrazol treatment remarkably increased the accumulation of starch granules in the stem pith cells and cortical cells of the stem and root. This study is similar to the other relevant studies in reporting an increased leaf thickness, and stem and root diameters; however, most of the underlying anatomical modifi cations described above have not been reported previously. The regulation of plant growth with syn- thetic plant growth regulators has become a common agricultural practice. Of the available synthetic plant growth regulators, triazoles are potent at low concentrations to inhibit shoot growth (Davis et al., 1988). Paclobutrazol (PBZ) is a triazole derivative known to inter- fere with ent-kaurene oxidase activity in the ent-kaurene oxidation pathway leading to a decrease in endogenous GA levels and ABA catabolism (Rademacher, 1997).

Subfields: Food Science, Plant Science

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/fdfc9649848f6594ffb58675709d03a7e8607c0c