Deposition of Casparian bands and suberin lamellae in the exodermis and endodermis of young corn and onion roots

Abstract

The Casparian band of the exodermis of corn and onion roots matures further from the root tip than its counterpart in the endodermis. A complete suberin lamella in the exodermal cells usually develops about 10 mm proximal to the exodermal Casparian band. The distance between the exodermal Casparian band and suberin lamella in the endodermis was usually much greater than in the exodermis. Both the exodermal Casparian band and suberin lamella matured closer to the tip in onion than in corn roots. The distance from the root tip at which the exodermal Casparian band matured increased with root age during the 5-day period studied in corn grown in hydroponics and vermiculite, and onion grown in hydroponics. This difference was most pronounced in corn, in which the Casparian band matured 20 mm from the root tip when the root was 20 mm long but matured 120 mm from the tip 4 days later when the root was 170 mm long. When the growth rate of corn roots was drastically inhibited by adding polyethylene glycol to the hydroponic medium, the exodermal Casparian band and suberin lamellae were present within 10 mm of the root tip. The position in the root at which the exodermis matures is thus highly variable and can depend on the plant species, and the age and growth rate of the individual root.