Occurrence of Lenticels in Roots of Scots Pine Seedlings in Different Growth Conditions

Abstract

Lenticel tissues were observed in the roots of Scots pine seedlings at different oxygen poor growth conditions: hydroponic culture, in vitro culture, peatland and potted seedlings in the greenhouse. In the roots of seedlings from the typical heath forest site, lenticel formation could not be found. Anatomically, the lenticels consisted of filling cells above the expanded phelloderm region. In peatland seedlings, closing layers were also detectable. The lenticels might be beneficial to the Scots pine at wet growth habitats for gas exchange, even though their proliferation is too slow to be advantageous in flooding incidents.