Growth and development of shoot apex in barley I. Morphology and histology of shoot apex in vegetative phase

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The vegetative phase of development of the main shoot apex lasts over 5 plastochrons after germination. The endosperm has a sufficient store of nutrition for this period. At the beginning of this phase the apex has a one-layer tunica. The cells of the latter divide above the level of bulge formation for leaf primordia, exclusively anticlinally, although somewhat lower within the leaf bulge periclinal divisions may occur. The cells immediately under the first tunica layer in the apical part grow tangentially to the surface. These cells divide only anticlinally forming gradually the second tunica layer. In the course of the entire phase the shape of the meristeanatic caulis from the tip to the 4th frustum remains unchanged.