Determinate Primary Root Growth in Stenocereus gummosus (Cactaceae)

Abstract

The biology of root formation and development and plant adaptation to the natural environment are two closely related aspects of plant biology and have to be considered jointly. The environmental conditions, highly drastic for some species, may be common for others. Drought is one such, though complex, condition. Effects of high temperature (Taylor and Clowes, 1978; Barlow, 1987; Clowes and Wadekar, 1988, 1989; Francis and Barlow, 1988; Gladish and Rost, 1993) and water deficit (Sharp et al., 1988; Spollen and Sharp, 1991; Tomos and Pritchard, 1994) on meristem function and root growth have been studied mainly in mesophytes. How root formation and growth, in species experiencing drought most of the year, are organized and how the root meristem of these species responds to environmental conditions are fundamental questions. Such questions are important for better understanding of the cellular basis of root growth and development in plants and of adaptive strategies elaborated in the root meristem during plant evolution.