Development of stomata in Hordeum vulgare L. under the influence of oleander glycosides and colchicine

Abstract

The effect of aqueous solutions of a 0.1 per cent mixture of oleander glycosides and of 0.1 and 0.5 per cent colchicine on the growth of seedlings, and particularly on the development of stomata was investigated in Hordeum vulgare L. The compounds were found not to penetrate with the same readiness through the coleoptile: glycosides passed very slowly, while colchicine rapidly. Growth inhibition of seedlings increased with the concentrations of the solutions applied, the time of incubation and the degree of damage to the coleoptile. Colchicine and glycosides cause a similar type of disturbances in all cell divisions leading to the formation of stomata. Most numerous disturbances were noted in phase II. The cause of these disorders lies in damage to the karyokinetic sipindle and abnormal cytokinesis. As a result are formed the stomata with a changed number of guard cells or subsidiary cells, their shape is changed and sometimes also their orientation and the dimensions are reduced.