Plant Physiol, April 2001, Vol. 125, pp. 2173-2179
Does Growth Correlate with Turgor-Induced Elastic Strain in
Stems? A Re-Evaluation of de Vries' Classical
Experiments
Winfried S.
Peters,1*
Maggie S.
Farm, and
A. Jim
Kopf2
Institut für Allgemeine Botanik und Pflanzenphysiologie,
Justus-Liebig-Universität, Senckenbergstrasse 17-21, D-35390
Giessen, Germany (W.S.P., A.J.K.); and Buderusweg 17b, D-35457
Lollar, Germany (M.S.F.)
The correlation between growth and turgor-induced elastic expansion
was studied in hypocotyls of sunflower (Helianthus
annuus) seedlings under various growth conditions.
Turgor-induced elastic cell wall strain was greater in hypocotyls of
faster growing seedlings, i.e. in etiolated versus light-grown ones. It
also was higher in rapidly growing young seedlings as compared with
nongrowing mature ones. However, analysis of the spatial distribution
of elastic strain and growth demonstrated that their correspondence was
only apparent. Profiles of elastic strain declined steadily from the
top of the hypocotyls toward the basis, whereas the profiles of
relative elemental growth rate along the hypocotyls showed maxima within the growing zones. In contrast to earlier
hypotheses, we conclude that turgor-induced elastic cell wall strain
and growth do not correlate precisely in growing hypocotyls.
1
Present address: AK Kinematische
Zellforschung, Biozentrum der Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität,
Marie-Curie-Strasse 9, D-60439 Frankfurt (Main), Germany.
2
Present address: GEOMAR, Wischhofstrasse 1-3, D-24148
Kiel, Germany.
*
Corresponding author; e-mail
w.s.peters{at}zoology.uni-frankfurt.de; fax 49-069-798-29607.
© 2001 American Society of Plant Physiologists
