Electron Microscopy of Botrytis cinerea Conidia

Abstract

Buckley, Patricia M. (University of California, Davis), Virginia E. Sjaholm, and N. F. Sommer . Electron microscopy of Botrytis cinerea conidia. J. Bacteriol. 91: 2037–2044. 1966.—Sections of germinating and nongerminating Botrytis cinerea conidia were examined with an electron microscope. Uranyl acetate or lead citrate provided contrast between membranes and cytoplasm. Membrane-bounded, dense inclusions previously unreported in dormant spores were termed “storage bodies.” Whorled structures, spherules, granules, and membrane loops were seen within these inclusions. The various forms assumed by the enclosed materials closely resemble phospholipid inclusions described for other cells. It is suggested that the inclusions provide material for the assembly of membranous organelles during germination. Utilization of the stored material apparently results in extensive vacuolization in advanced germinants.