Plants and Light Manipulation: The Integrated Mineral System in Okra Leaves.

ABSTRACT: Calcium oxalate and silica minerals are common components of a variety of plant leaves. These minerals are found at different locations within the leaf, and there is little conclusive evidence about the functions they perform. Here tools are used from the fields of biology, optics, and imaging to investigate the distributions of calcium oxalate, silica minerals, and chloroplasts in okra leaves, in relation to their functions. A correlative approach is developed to simultaneously visualize calcium oxalates, silica minerals, chloroplasts, and leaf soft tissue in 3D without affecting the minerals or the organic components. This method shows that in okra leaves silica and calcium oxalates, together with chloroplasts, form a complex system with a highly regulated relative distribution. This dis

SUBMITTER: Pierantoni M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5441490 | biostudies-literature | 2017 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature