A Comparative SEM Study of Red Rice and Several Commerical Rice(Oryza sativa)Varieties

Abstract

A comparative scanning electron microscopy (SEM) study was performed on the surfaces of seeds and coleoptiles of several conspecific rice(Oryza sativaL.) varieties including the weed red rice and several cultivars: Mochi-Gommi and LA-110 (medium grained); Starbonnet, Labelle, and Bluebelle (long grained). Seed surfaces of red rice, LA-110 and Mochi-Gommi possessed trichomes that were more numerous at the seed apex than on other seed parts. Red rice also exhibited a large central awn extending from the seed apex. This awn had spines along its axis and numerous spines at its apical end. These characteristics were absent in the other varieties. No significant differences were noted in the seed-surface tubercles and in the quantity or structure of wax on the seed surface in all six samples. The coleoptiles of all samples had several similarities: the stomata were arranged in parallel rows on both the adaxial and abaxial surfaces, the epicuticular wax structure on both surfaces was rodlet, prickle hairs were found on the adaxial coleoptile surface (but absent on abaxial), spines were present on the edge of the apical end (older portion) and decreased in number toward the basal end (younger portion), and two types of papillae (based on size and shape) were present on both the adaxial and abaxial surfaces. Although there were varietal differences among developing coleoptiles on a macroscopic scale, significant morphological differences were not discernible at the SEM level.