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Root Cap and the Perception of Gravity

Abstract

DURING investigations into the fine structure of apical meristems under the electron microscope, one of us (S. G.) discovered that it was possible, in maize and barley, to detach the intact root cap cleanly from the rest of the root tip. This is shown in Fig. 1. The roots of grasses are characterized by having a discrete cap meristem and, as can be seen in Fig. 2, a very well marked boundary between the cap and the root proper. The fracture takes place through the unstrengthened walls of the meristematic region of the cap as indicated in Fig. 2. We have not so far succeeded in removing the cap intact from other species such as broad bean or pea.

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References

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JUNIPER, B., GROVES, S., LANDAU-SCHACHAR, B. et al. Root Cap and the Perception of Gravity. Nature 209, 93–94 (1966). https://doi.org/10.1038/209093a0

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