Leaf Teeth Research Articles

Differences on the modifying inheritance between the species; Fragaria vesca L. and Fragaria ananassa

By modifying variability, let’s mean that a certain feature of the organism undergoes changes and does not maintain uniformity during its appearance (ie during the transfer of information from the genetic structure to the phenotypic one). In this paper, it is shown how the modifying inheritance is presented in the two types of the strawberry plant, in the one that grows in nature, Fragaria vesca L., and in the one cultivated in greenhouses, Fragaria ananassa. The number of leaf teeth, of these species, has served as the analyzed feature, on which our search for this type of inheritance is based. The paper sheds light on the great role of the environment in elaborating the inheritance of organisms by causing modifying changes in their phenotype in function of the status of the environmental factors in which this organism grows and develops. When these phenotypic modifications manage to become heritable, then it is possible to deal with the action of the epigenetic effect in inheritance. For this reason, studies of modifying inheritance in the phenotype of organisms are necessary. From the comparison of the results obtained, in terms of the modification changes observed between these two species, the null Hypothesis (Ho) is rejected; so, the observed changes have a real basis and are not a random finding. Thus it becomes clear to us that the modifying changes in the inheritance of the plant grown in the natural environment (with significant changes in environmental factors) are greater than those of the species grown in strict conditions – in greenhouses (without large variations in environmental factors). Of course, these changes have an impact on the nutritional and taste values of their fruits, as they affect the nutrient processing laboratory, the leaves

Cryptic diploid lineage of Betula ermanii at its southern boundary populations in Japan.

Polyploidy is thought to enable species diversification and adaptation to extreme environments. Resolving the ecological differences between a taxon's ploidy levels would therefore provide important insights into local adaptation and speciation. The genus Betula includes many polyploids, but estimates of their phylogenetic relationships and evolutionary history are uncertain because of cryptic lineages and species. As one of the southern boundary populations of Betula ermanii in Japan has been shown to have distinctive genetic characteristics and traits, the differences in ploidy levels between three southern boundary and various other Japanese B. ermanii populations were investigated using flow cytometry. Leaf and seed morphologies were also compared. Apart from individuals in southern boundary populations, all those sampled were tetraploid. Individuals from the southern boundary populations were mostly diploid, apart from a few from lower altitude Shikoku populations, which were tetraploid. Leaf and seed morphologies differed between tetraploids and diploids. Diploid individuals were characterized by leaves with a heart-shaped base and many leaf teeth, and seeds with relatively longer wings. The diploid populations could be considered a cryptic relict lineage of B. ermanii, and there is a possibility that this lineage is a diploid ancestor of B. ermanii and a relict population of the Sohayaki element. Further investigation of the Japanese Betula phylogenetic relationships would enable an informed discussion of taxonomic revisions.

The trait co-variation regulates the response of bryophytes to nitrogen deposition: A meta-analysis

The nitrogen deposition has the potential to alter the trait composition of plant communities by affecting the fitness and physiological adaptation of species, consequently exerting an influence on ecosystem processes. Despite the importance of bryophytes in nutrient and carbon dynamics across different ecosystems, there is a lack of research examining the relationship between nitrogen deposition and the co-variation of bryophyte traits. To address this gap, a meta-analysis was conducted using data from 27 independent studies to investigate potential associations between trait co-variation of bryophytes and nitrogen deposition. The results revealed that interspecific variability regulates the influence of nitrogen deposition on bryophytes by affecting trait co-variation. Multiple correspondence analysis identified six combinations of closely related traits. For example, species with unbranched main stems frequently exhibit robust leaf midribs, leading to leaf wrinkling and leaf clasping around the stem as a response to water loss. Some weft or mat species tend to obtain resources (nitrogen) through their scale hairs on the main stem. Some species with narrow leaves require leaf teeth to maintain a normal leaf shape. The subgroup analyses indicated that certain traits, including unbranched main stem, changes in leaf morphology, robust leaf midrib, main stem without scale hairs, narrow leaf, leaf margin with teeth, undeveloped apophysis, and erect capsule minimize interaction with pollutants and represent a resource strategy. Conversely, functional traits representing a resource acquisition strategy, such as branched main stem, no changes in leaf morphology, short and weak leaf midrib, main stem with scale hairs, broad leaf, leaf margin without teeth, developed apophysis, and non-erect capsule increase pollutant exposure. Overall, our results suggest that anthropogenic global change may significantly impact bryophytes due to changes in their individual physiology and colony ecological indicators caused by increased nitrogen deposition.

The morphoanatomy of Serjania erecta Radlk (Sapindaceae) provides evidence of biotrophic interactions by endophytic fungi within leaves.

The leaves of Serjania erecta Radlk (Sapindaceae) are renowned in ethnobotany for their medicinal properties and are significant as a medicinal resource for traditional Brazilian communities. As necrotic spots are common on these leaves, indicating interaction with phytopathogenic fungi, it was hypothesized that biotrophic fungal species colonize the leaf tissues of S. erecta. To test this hypothesis, we employed standard techniques in plant anatomy, which enabled us to investigate the interaction of fungal structures with plant tissues and describe the morphoanatomical and histochemical characteristics of the epidermis and limbus of S. erecta. The anatomical analysis showed the existence of leaf teeth on the leaf tips. Additionally, hyphae, conidiospores, and spores of Bipolaris/Curvularia species were detected on the adaxial epidermis. Moreover, melanized microsclerotia were found in glandular areas of the leaf teeth and the phloem, providing evidence of biotrophic behavior. The hypothesis that biotrophic phytopathogenic fungi interact with S. erecta leaf tissues was confirmed, despite the presence of many bioactive compounds (such as flavonoids, alkaloids, and essential oils), as evidenced by histochemical analyses. The presence of tector, glandular, and scabiform trichomes on the leaf teeth and epidermis was also revealed. This study presents, for the first time, the synthesis of essential oils and alkaloids in the leaves of S. erecta. Additionally, it investigates previously unexplained aspects of the anatomy and histochemistry of the species, as well as its interaction with resident microorganisms. Therefore, it is recommended that future research focus on extracting and characterizing the oils and alkaloids of S. erecta, as well as exploring other aspects related to its microbiome and its relationship.

Leaf hydathode occurrence in indigenous New Zealand angiosperm trees: a preliminary survey

ABSTRACT Toothed leaf margins are common (∼36%) in the New Zealand indigenous flora, and are most abundant in cool forests with high rainfall. Toothed margins are often associated with hydathodes, specialised structures that release water and solutes to maintain positive xylem pressure. However, the presence of hydathodes is mainly known from herbaceous plants. Here we investigate the presence and morphology of hydathodes in indigenous woody species representing 25 families, 33 genera and 57 species, with toothed and entire leaf margins. We tested whether toothed leaf margins on predominantly evergreen species are associated with hydathodes. Two types of structures on leaves were recognised: laminar hydathodes, water pores larger than normal stomata and associated with veins, and hydathodes positioned at the terminus of leaf teeth serviced by principal veins. Laminar hydathodes occur more frequently, but not exclusively, on toothed leaves (on 61.8% of toothed species vs. 48.0% of entire-margined species). Leaf tooth hydathodes are complex structures with undifferentiated, porous tissue plugs linked to splayed vein termini of vessel elements and often form a distinctive cap on leaf teeth. Tooth hydathodes occur on ∼90% of the serrated leaves species sampled. Ontogenetic differences in hydathode occurrence were noted in Alectryon excelsus as leaf morphology changes with plant age from a serrated to a non-serrated form. Quintinia acutifolius showed a similar pattern between individuals with different leaf morphologies. In our sampled dataset, tree species with any type of hydathode occur in areas with a higher ratio of rainfall to potential evapotranspiration than tree species without hydathodes. This pattern was not observed in shrubs. The strong association between marginal hydathodes and toothed leaves in New Zealand trees, plus the association with higher rainfall environments, suggests that these structures function to release hydraulic water pressure in plants on periodically saturated soils in high rainfall zones.

Leaf secretory structures in Rosa lucieae (Rosaceae): two times of secretion-two ecological functions?

Secretory trichomes and colleters are two of the secretory structures whose exudates may cover thebody of the plant. Such secretions comprise resins or mucilages which are associated with an array of ecological roles. In Rosaceae, secretory trichomes have been reported for the leaves while colleters associated with leaf teeth. Our study aimed to identify the secretory structures of Rosa lucieae and understand the ecological role played by these glands as interpreted by morphoanatomical and histochemical studies. Samples from developing and fully mature leaves were collected, fixed, and processed according to usual techniques for light and scanning electron microscopy. In R. lucieae, colleters are restricted to the leaf and stipular margins and are associated with the teeth. They present a parenchymatous axis surrounded by a secretory palisade epidermis and usually fall off after the secretory activity is finished. Different from colleters, secretory trichomes are persistent. They present a multicellular secretory head and stalk. They are found at the base of the leaflet, petiolule, rachis, and petiole and occasionally on the stipular and leaf margins. The colleters predominantly secrete mucilages while the secretory trichomes secrete lipids and terpenes, both via cuticle rupture. The secretory activity of colleters is predominant in the leaf primordia, holding leaflets together and protecting meristems and leaves from desiccation, while the secretory trichomes maintain their secretory activity at different stages of leaf development, protecting different regions of the leaf against pathogens and herbivores.

Colleters in leaves of Mespilus germanica L. (Rosaceae): Micromorphology, histochemistry and fluorescence

New data on the micromorphology, histochemistry, and fluorescence of colleters on leaf structures at different stages of development (leaf blade, stipules, and petiole) of Mespilus germanica L. are presented. Colleters are found on the tips of the teeth of both young and mature leaf blades and stipules, less often on the petioles. The leaf veins approach the leaf tooth, but no vascularization was found in the colleter. On leaf structures inside the bud, young colleters were observed in the form of finger-shaped or rounded outgrowths consisting of isodiametric cells. Mature colleters are multicellular secretory structures that have a head on a short stalk. The central part of the head consists of densely packed parenchymal cells, which are surrounded by radially elongated palisade-like secretory cells covered with a cuticle. The main secretion process of the colleter falls on the period of active growth of leaf structures. The secreted substances accumulated in the intercellular spaces of the palisade-like cells of the head and then were released outside in the form of translucent vesicles. The secretion products were released when the cuticle was ruptured and spread over the surface of the head and tooth of the leaf blade and stipules. After the end of secretion, the sizes of the head of the colleter decreased, and an abscission zone appeared in the cells of the colleter stalk, along the border of which a fracture occurred when the head fell off. Histochemical analysis of the contents of the colleter showed the presence of polysaccharides, especially at a young age, substances of a phenolic nature and lipids at a more mature age. In the fluorescence spectrum of young leaf colleter secretion, a peak at 671–672 nm was observed upon excitation at 405 and 473 nm. The obtained data on Mespilus germanica L. colleter can be used in the taxonomy of Pyrinae and Rosaceae.

Ectopic Expression of BcCUC2 Involved in Sculpting the Leaf Margin Serration in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Leaf margin serration is a morphological characteristic in plants. The CUC2 (CUP-SHAPED COTYLEDON 2) gene plays an important role in the outgrowth of leaf teeth and enhances leaf serration via suppression of growth in the sinus. In this study, we isolated the BcCUC2 gene from Pak-choi (Brassica rapa ssp. chinensis), which contains a 1104 bp coding sequence, encoding 367 amino acid residues. Multiple sequence alignment exhibited that the BcCUC2 gene has a typical conserved NAC domain, and phylogenetic relationship analysis showed that the BcCUC2 protein has high identity with Cruciferae plants (Brassica oleracea, Arabidopsis thaliana, and Cardamine hirsuta). The tissue-specific expression analysis displayed that the BcCUC2 gene has relatively high transcript abundance in floral organs. Meanwhile, the expression profile of BcCUC2 was relatively higher in the '082' lines with serrate leaf margins than the '001' lines with smooth leaf margins in young leaves, roots, and hypocotyls. In addition, the transcript level of BcCUC2 was up-regulated by IAA and GA3 treatment, especially at 1-3 h. The subcellular localization assay demonstrated that BcCUC2 was a nuclear-target protein. Furthermore, leaf serration occurred, and the number of the inflorescence stem was increased in the transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana plants' overexpressed BcCUC2 gene. These data illustrated that BcCUC2 is involved in the development of leaf margin serration, lateral branches, and floral organs, contributing to further uncovering and perfecting the regulation mechanism of leaf serration in Pak-choi.

Morphological characterization of papaya accessions in Jember through multivariate analysis

This study aimed to select the most informative morphological descriptors in characterizing and distinguishing papaya accessions in Jember. The multivariate analysis was used to i) determine the closeness between the papaya accessions collected based on morphology descriptors and ii) define a list of sufficient minimum descriptors to distinguish papaya accessions in Jember. Five quantitative and fifteen qualitative descriptors were used in evaluating 23 accessions. The data collected through quantitative descriptors were analyzed by the means of PCA­biplot analysis and qualitative descriptors were analyzed using entropy level. Statistical analysis was carried out by R studio software using two packages, i.e. biotools and factoextra packages. Based on the research results, the first two principal components of the PCA­biplot representation of 23 accessions were able to evaluate 67.18% of the total variability. The accessions located in KAL­SUK, GUM­PUR 1, and GUM­PUR 2 had similarities in tree diameter and width of mature leaf characters, while KAL­PLA, MUM­SUM 1, LED­SLA, MUM­LEN 1, SUM­RO 2, and SUM­JAM accessions shared similarities in the length of mature leaf, petiole, and peduncle. The minimum descriptors that could be used to characterize papaya plant accessions in Jember were two quantitative descriptors (tree diameter and length of mature leaf) and three qualitative descriptors (general shape of mature leaf teeth, height to first fruit, and stem color). The combination of quantitative­qualitative descriptors allowed the simple and rapid characterization of papaya accession. In addition, it could reduce costs and labor without losing information in the characterization of papaya plants.

Can the extinction risk of Irish vascular plants be predicted using leaf traits?

Globally, 39% of vascular plant species are estimated to be threatened with extinction. Many factors are responsible for this figure; however, in numerous regions the primary drivers of plant extinction remain unknown. In this study, leaf traits were examined to determine whether there is an association between any specific leaf trait and extinction risk for the Irish flora. Ireland has a relatively small flora that is influenced by a temperate, oceanic climate. Fourteen leaf traits were measured for 1,029 angiosperm taxa, primarily from online herbarium images. Extinction risk was based on national Red List assessments for the Irish flora. Multivariate analysis of the data showed no correlation between leaf traits and extinction risk for the Irish flora. One-way ANOVA and Pearson’s Chi-squared tests largely supported this result, with some indication that leaf teeth may be associated with extinction risk. The correlation of extinction risk and leaf traits with phylogenetic relatedness was also considered, with the presence of a phylogenetic signal detected for the distribution of extinction risk across the Irish flora and significant phylogenetic signal observed for individual leaf traits. It was concluded that the leaf traits analysed do not significantly correlate with the extinction risk of the Irish flora and that leaf traits are not a good predictor of extinction risk for this flora.

New highlights on Old World giant Phragmites (Poaceae) using leaf and floral bract microscopic characters

The genus Phragmites includes taxa that are very difficult to distinguish macroscopically, and even genetically. To better discriminate these taxa, microscopic traits, such as the epidermis of floral bracts and leaves, and leaf anatomy, were investigated. In the Old World, four distinct giant reeds species (> 3 m) were delineated: two tropical species, P. karka and P. mauritianus, and two Mediterranean species, P. altissimus and P. frutescens. Previously included within P. australis sensu lato, the rehabilitation of P. altissimus and P. frutescens is supported by relevant distinctive characteristics. Conversely, the small reeds (< 3 m) from temperate to cold regions form a distinct group. Although this group is still difficult to subdivide with epidermis traits, three taxa can be separated using leaf anatomy: both the Afro-European and the Australian-E. Asian P. australis sensu stricto, and P. japonicus. Using iodine green solution, we link our morphological analyses with previous genetic clustering, the green coloration of floral bracts and margin leaf teeth matches with the presence of nuclear waxy gene bands in P. frutescens and P. mauritianus (100 bp), and P. altissimus (200 bp), while P. karka, P. australis subsp. australis and P. japonicus have no coloration nor waxy band. While leaf anatomy features seem to be correlated with eco-climatic conditions, the epidermal traits delimited other clades. For leaf epidermis P. karka, P. mauritianus, and P. frutescens present the more ancestral characters, whereas P. australis, P. japonicus, and P. altissimus possess derived traits. Lastly, floral bract epidermis traits separate two divergent evolutionary lineages from the basal P. karka.

Vegetative anatomical characteristics and trichome morphology of the monotypic Martynia annua L. (Martyniaceae) for use in identification and crude drug search

Background: Leaf epidermis and indumenta structure of M. annua were studied with the aid of microscopy for easy identification&nbsp; of the plant materials when in fragments and for crude drug search. Stomata and trichome morphology appear significant in identifying the species. Paracytic and anomocytic stomatal types are basic but polocytic is additional on the abaxial surface of theepidermis.The overwhelming reports on the folkloric uses of Martynia annua L. (Martyniaceae) and the sole reliance on exo-morphology for its identification which gives room to error form the basis for this study. Moreso, the need to utilize as many data as possible for accurate identification of the plant is another important reason for its choice for investigation. Methods: A total of 20 plant samples were examined. 100 leaves and 40 stems, petioles and midribs obtained from both herbarium samples of the plant were examined. The epidermis was recovered after treatment with concentrated trioxonitrate (v) acid (HNO3) in capped specimen bottles for about 8–24hrs to macerate the mesophyll. Samples were stained with acidified phloroglucinol and then one drop of toluidine blue. They were mounted on glass slides and examined under the microscope (XSZ- 170BN Olympus) and photomicrographs were taken with microscope eyepiece camera (Toupview 3.7). Line drawings were made with camera lucida drawing instrument. Results: Interesting folia epidermal features were encountered. These include 3 stomatal types, two main types of trichomes namely: - Type 1: Long to short multicellular-glandular trichomes with globular heads and Type 2: Unicellular non-glandular globular-headed trichomes with stalk or no stalk. Conclusion: The report of leaf teeth in M. annua which is the begonioid type is novel and cell shape of the perivascular structures is oval to polyhedral.Asuite of these characters will aid identification of M. annua when a whole fresh plant specimen is absent.

Anatomical and histochemical characterization of glands associated with the leaf teeth in Rhaphiolepis loquata B.B.Liu &amp; J.Wen (Rosaceae Juss.)

Several representatives of Rosaceae are characterized by presenting leaf teeth. These projections on the leaf margins may be associated with different secretory structures such as extrafloral nectaries, hydathodes or colleters. Colleters are the secretory structures far less kwon in Rosaceae. Although colleters were previously mentioned in species from subfamily Amygdaloideae, authors fail to provide a detailed morphoanatomical description and the chemical nature of the secretion for those colleters. Therefore, we aimed to morphoanatomically describe the leaf teeth of Rhaphiolepis loquata, confirming the nature of the gland associated with the teeth and shedding light on the chemical composition of the gland exudates. For that, samples from the leaf margins at different stages of development were collected and fixed according to standard techniques for both light and scanning electron microscopy. The leaf teeth in R. loquata presented a colleter at its apex. Colleters were rounded with covered by single- or doubled-layered secretory palisade covered with thick cuticle and the central axis was made up of parenchyma cells. The presence of polysaccharides, pectins and proteins was confirmed in the exudates and phenolic compounds accumulated as the gland aged and ceased the exudate production. An abscission zone at the base of the colleter was observed what could cause the falling off of older, non-secreting colleters. This is the first study on the chemical composition of colleter exudates as interpreted through histochemical tests, being a novelty not only for R. loquata but for the Rosaceae family.

Quantitative Anatomical Characteristics of the Leaf Blades of the Several Species of &lt;i&gt;Crataegus&lt;/i&gt; L.

Introduction. The Crataegus L. (Hawthorn) is a common herb in numerous Pharmacopoeias. The State Pharmacopoeia of the Russian Federation provides hawthorn fruits and flowers for medical utilization. With that, the literature data confirms the medical utility of hawthorn leaves since the “leaves” and the “flowers with leaves” have pharmacopoeial status worldwide. Therefore, those are considered as prospective forms of Crataegus raw material for Russian pharmaceutical production. However, most species remain poorly pharmacognostically investigated regarding the quantitative microscopic characteristics (the sizes of stomatal apparatus (SA) and epidermal leaf blade (LB) trichomes), which could be substantial for establishing the authenticity of the raw material.Aim.Examine epidermal anatomy of Crataegus spp. Leaf blades (LBs) and perform a comparative study of several quantitative diagnostic features of LBs of hawthorn plants from the sect. Sanguineae and the sect. Crataegus, growing in diverse regions of the Russian Federation.Materials and methods. Samples of hawthorn leaves (C. sanguinea, C. maximowiczii, C. dahurica, C. rhipidophylla, C. monogyna and C. pallasii) were collected in natural habitats in Western Siberia (Kemerovo) and in arboretums of Botanical Gardens (Moscow, Stavropol). Measurements of anatomical structures were carried out using a light microscope accompanied by an ocular micrometre.Results and discussion.The LB surface phenotypic diversity within hawthorn species and sections was studied. The LBs were described in terms of meterages (longitude and width) of SA, meterages and shape of sedentary multicellular leaf teeth glands. The peculiarities of pubescence and the sizes of simple unicellular non-glandular trichomes were also observed.Conclusion. The results of quantitative anatomical examination provided the characteristic features determining these elements at the species and section levels. Thus, it may facilitate authentication and quality control of whole or ground Crataegus medicinal raw material.

Spatiotemporal relationship between auxin dynamics and hydathode development in Arabidopsis leaf teeth

ABSTRACT Hydathode is a plant tissue of vascular plants involved in water release called guttation. Arabidopsis hydathodes are found at the tips of leaf teeth and contain three major components: water pores, xylem ends, and small cells. Leaf teeth are known as the main parts for auxin biosynthesis and accumulation during leaf development. However, the detailed spatiotemporal relationship between auxin dynamics and hydathode development is unknown. In this study, we show that auxin biosynthesis and accumulation precede hydathode development. A triple marker line (called YDE line) containing three leaf tooth markers: YUC4:nls-3xGFP (auxin biosynthesis), DR5rev:erRFP (auxin accumulation or maxima), and E325-GFP (hydathode development), was generated, and spatiotemporal confocal microscopic analysis was carried out. The expression area of these markers became larger during leaf development, implying that the hydathode size enlarges as the leaf tooth grows. Detailed observation revealed that the auxin-related markers YUC4:nls-GFP and DR5rev:erRFP were first expressed in the early stage of leaf tooth growth. Then, E325-GFP was expressed partly overlapping with the auxin markers at a later stage. These findings provide new insights into the spatiotemporal relationship between auxin dynamics and hydathode development in Arabidopsis.

Geographic variation of leaf form among indigenous woody angiosperms in New Zealand

ABSTRACT Correlations of non-monocot woody angiosperm leaf traits to macroclimate are often used to reconstruct terrestrial paleoclimate under the assumption that macroclimate correlates with leaf phenotype are globally uniform, regardless of evolutionary history. Here, we evaluate if global trends in leaf trait variation with macroclimate are observed in the predominantly evergreen indigenous flora of New Zealand. A dataset of 557 indigenous woody dicot species and over 100,000 occurrences was employed to investigate community-level relationships of four leaf characters (leaf pubescence, margin teeth, area and length-to-width ratio) with geographic variation in temperature, precipitation, water deficit and solar radiation. Leaf area and the frequency of toothed leaves decline at higher latitudes in New Zealand. Variation in leaf pubescence and leaf teeth is associated primarily with measures of water availability, such as annual rainfall and annual water deficit; whereas leaf size is associated primarily with temperature. Variation in leaf length-to-width ratio was weakly correlated to climate parameters. The New Zealand relationship of leaf area with temperature aligns with global patterns, highlighting the importance of small leaves in limiting night-time chilling. The global negative correlation of leaf teeth with temperature is apparent in New Zealand trees and vines, but not in shrubs or all woody dicots combined. However, the primary correlate of leaf teeth in New Zealand is water availability, showing that the response of this trait to macroclimate is not globally uniform. The high occurrence of pubescent leaves in low rainfall and drought-prone environments in New Zealand suggests that the trait is associated with water retention in drier climates.

CHARACTERIZATION OF LEAF FEATURES IN SOME BLACKBERRY GENOTYPES COLLECTED FROM THE BLACK SEA REGION

In this study, morphological characterization studies regarding to leaf characteristics (leaf length, leaf width, leaf cross section shape, leaf edge waviness, swelling between leaf veins, leaf tooth depth, dominant leaflet number, leaf shape, green color intensity on the upper part of the leaf and brightness on the upper part of the leaf) were carried out in some blackberry genotypes collected from the Black Sea Region of Turkey, according to the definition lists of UPOV (International Association for the Protection of New Plant Varieties). The measurements and observations made were transformed into feature scores, and using these scores, dendrogram and principal component analysis (PCA) related to morphological features were obtained. In the dendrogram obtained according to the morphological characterization data, the similarity level between the materials was determined between 0.50-1.00 and the average similarity coefficient was found as 0.75. The dendrogram consists of 2 main clusters (A and B). According to the dendrogram, genotypes obtained from Samsun (Çarşamba 1), Samsun (Çarşamba 2) and Ordu (Gülyalı), Bartın (Center) and Rize (Küçükçayır) regions were found to be the closest genotypes with 1.00 similarity level. In addition, as a result of the principal component analysis (PCA), the similarities and differences within the blackberry genotypes were clearly revealed. It was determined that they consisted of three main groups and two outer groups in their distribution on the two-dimensional plot.As a result of the study, it was determined that there is a certain level of variation between blackberry genotypes. The data obtained from this study will help to protect the diversity and to evaluate it with different studies.

CANONICAL CORRELATION AND AGRONOMIC PERFORMANCE OF QUINOA (CHENOPODIUM QUINOA WILLD)

- This work was aimed at evidencing the agronomic performance and linear and canonical associations of Quinoa crop grown Rio Grande do Sul state. The trials were carried out in the municipality of Pelotas - Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The experimental design was randomized blocks, with three Quinoa genotypes, being them Altiplano, Salcedo and BRS Piabiru, arranged in four replicates. The morphological differentiation of quinoa genotypes occurs through the number of teeth expressed by leaves. Quinoa seed yield is based on the joint action of mass of one thousand seeds, number of seeds per inflorescence and number of seeds per plant, being the Altiplano and Salcedo genotypes considered superior. Seed yield components of quinoa plants are potentialized by plant height, petiole length, leaf teeth number and flower length. The definition of agronomic performance, linear and canonical associations is a pioneer study for this species and may be used in future studies with pseudocereals focused on seed science and technology.

Comparative Studying of Leaf Trichomes, Teeth and Glands in Populus nigra L., Populus deltoides W. Bartram ex Marshall and Their Hybrids

Poplars from Aigeiros Duby section are very widespread in the world. A range of morphological characters were studied in such species of this section as Populus deltoides Bartram ex Marshall, P. nigra L. and their hybrid P. × canadensis Moench. However, there is little information about micromorphological characters of their leaves. The aim of this work was to study these characters and understand their species-specific potential. Thus, the morphological features, density and distribution of non-glandular trichoms, marginal glandular trichomes (salicoid teeth or coleters), epiglandular trichomes and basilaminar nectaries-glands were ontogenetically examined by both light and scanning electron microscopy in the certified by molecular markers P. deltoides, P. nigra and P. × canadensis samples. Non-glandular trichomes belong to the uni-, multicellular, uniseriate category. Marginal glandular trichomes can be classified as coleter types. Other morphological and anatomical trichome features are discussed with regard to their possible function. In summary, some variations in leaf morphology may be useful for the P. nigra, P. deltoides and their hybrid P. × canadensis species identification. These species differ in shape and number of basilaminar glands, as well as non-glandular trichome types and their distribution on the leaf.

Fluorescent protein-based imaging and tissue-specific RNA-seq analysis of Arabidopsis hydathodes.

Hydathodes are typically found at leaf teeth in vascular plants and are involved in water release to the outside. Although morphological and physiological analysis of hydathodes has been performed in various plants, little is known about the genes involved in hydathode function. In this study, we performed fluorescent protein-based imaging and tissue-specific RNA-seq analysis in Arabidopsis hydathodes. We used the enhancer trap line E325, which has been reported to express green fluorescent protein (GFP) at its hydathodes. We found that E325-GFP was expressed in small cells found inside the hydathodes (named E cells) that were distributed between the water pores and xylem ends. No fluorescence of the phloem markers pSUC2:GFP and pSEOR1:SEOR1-YFP was observed in the hydathodes. These observations indicate that Arabidopsis hydathodes are composed of three major components: water pores, xylem ends, and E cells. In addition, we performed transcriptome analysis of the hydathode using the E325-GFP line. Microsamples were collected from GFP-positive or -negative regions of E325 leaf margins with a needle-based device (~130 µm in diameter). RNA-seq was performed with each single microsample using a high-throughput library preparation method called Lasy-Seq. We identified 72 differentially expressed genes. Among them, 68 genes showed significantly higher and four genes showed significantly lower expression in the hydathode. Our results provide new insights into the molecular basis for hydathode physiology and development.