The microstructure of almond ( Prunus dulcis (Mill.) D.A.Webb cv. ‘Nonpareil’) cotyledon

Abstract

Microstructure of almond ( Prunus dulcis (Mill.) D.A. Webb cv. ‘Nonpareil’) cotyledon was observed with light, scanning and transmission electron microscopy. The objective of this study was to characterise almond cotyledon surfaces as well as to describe internal and subcellular organisation. The testa has an outer epidermis, which consists of relatively large thin-walled cells, which range from 100 to 300 μm in width. The major portion of the testa consists of approximately 14–20 layers of flattened parenchymal cells with the total thickness of the layers ranging from 80 to 120 μm. The remainder of the testa was comprised of a small amount of vascular tissue. The embryo consisted primarily of parenchymal tissue with relatively thin cell walls (1–3 μm in thickness) and a small amount of provascular tissue. Protein bodies up to 12 μm in width and spaces once occupied by lipid bodies up to 3 μm in width were present in all cells of the embryo.