Growth and ultrastructural differentiation of sporangia in Phytophthora palmivora

Abstract

Development of sporangia in Phytophthora palmivora Butler consists of two main stages. The first involves expansion of the sporangial initial to about the size of the mature sporangium, whereas the second is characterized by the differentiation of the expanded vesicle to the mature sporangium. Differentiation includes basal plug formation, secondary sporangial wall thickening, and apical papilla formation.Expansion of the sporangial initial appears to be mainly the result of cytoplasmic inflow from the mycelial mat coupled with surface growth of the vesicle wall. Basal plug formation terminates the phase of expansion. The process of plug formation involves deposition of wall-like material at the base of the expanded vesicle. The depositions, which grow from the periphery towards the center of the sporangiophore, are at first rather irregular in shape but eventually lead to complete occlusion, thus separating the immature sporangium from the sporangiophore. Sporangial wall thickening starts at the basal plug and progresses towards the developing apical papilla. Papilla formation is initiated by an apical bulge of the immature sporangium. The cytoplasm within the bulge is specialized and characterized mainly by populations of small (50–100 nm) and large (about 250 nm) vesicles, which appear to be involved in papilla formation. Papilla deposition resembles hyphal tip growth in the absence of cell expansion.