Cell and nuclear degradation in sweetpotato [Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.] root meristems following exposure to salinity

Richardson, K. V. A., Caligari, P. D. S. and Wetten, A. C. (2003) Cell and nuclear degradation in sweetpotato [Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.] root meristems following exposure to salinity. Tropical Agriculture, 80 (4). pp. 227-234. ISSN 0041-3216

Abstract/Summary

Sodium chloride-induced cell and nuclear degradation in the root meristems of sweetpotato [Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.] were determined using fluorescent microscopy and flow cytometry analysis. Two sweetpotato cultivars were grown in liquid Murashige and Skoog medium and subjected to 0 mM and 500 mM NaCl, with or without 15 mM CaCl2, for periods up to 24 h. Changes to the nuclei of root meristematic cells showed a similar pattern of damage to the nuclei using both fluorescent microscopy and flow cytometry analysis. Damage occurring after only a few hours was followed by nuclear degradation at 24 h. Flow cytometry histograms showed a reduction in G1 and G2 nuclei and an increase in degraded nuclei in NaCl-stressed roots. Salinity-induced nuclear degradation was alleviated by the addition of CaCl2.