Abstract
Flood-induced flowering is a common forcing technique used for off-season production of wax apples (Syzygium samarangense). Research on the effect of such imposed flood stress on roots is crucial to avoid permanent root damage of these perennial trees. Therefore, it is fundamental to study wax apple root response to flooding since tree vigor and steady production highly depend on maintaining a healthy root system. The present study used an anatomical approach to record histological changes occurring in maturing root cells of three-year-old wax apple trees grown in flooded conditions and compared it with normal conditions. Wax apples belong to Myrtaceae, a plant family known to develop a protective root tissue called polyderm. In older roots of normal batches, up to 5 layers of polyderm, composed of alternating layers of suberized endodermis-like cell and lignin encrusted thick-walled cell layers, were observed whereas in flooded batches, this number was restricted to 2-3 layers. In addition, lignin accumulation in epidermis and cortex together with suberin accumulation in endodermis and exodermis was observed in both normal and flooded batches. In younger roots of flooded batches, aerenchyma developed more dramatically than in normal batches. The results of the present study indicated that aerenchyma and polyderm layer formation were directly affected by soil moisture availability. The aerenchyma increased but polyderm layers decreased under flooded batch. Such results generate further interest on flood-induced structural changes occurring as root-response to flooding in commercial wax apple cultivation.
Published Version
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