Physiological Sink Research Articles

Morphogenetic Aspects of a Leafless Mutant in Tomato. II. Induction of a Vascular Cambium

The vascular tissues of the leafless form of the “lanceolate” mutant in tomato resemble those of the normal hypocotyl in the lower portions. A divergence in development occurs in the middle region of the mutant hypocotyl: two xylary strands split acropetally into five to seven units, while in the normal hypocotyl four main vascular bundles are established. The three to four week old mutant hypocotyl shows a marked proliferation of cells in its central cylinder when it is grown on a simple nutrient medium; proliferation also occurs in older specimens grown in soil. This condition is averted if the mutant is grafted beneath an actively growing normal shoot tip. Instead of having numerous, random cell divisions in the central cylinder, the grafted mutant shows large pith parenchyma cells and an active vascular cambium. These features characterize the normal hypocotyl and they have not been observed in the intact leafless mutant. The observed behavior of intact and grafted mutant hypocotyls can be interpreted in terms of the normal shoot tip acting both as physiological sink, with respect to cell-division stimuli produced mainly in the root system, and physiological source, with respect to cambial activating hormones.