TITLE:
Silicon Deposition in Leaf Trichomes of Cucurbitaceae Horticultural Plants: A Short Report
AUTHORS:
Jun Abe
KEYWORDS:
Bottle Gourd (Lagenaria siceraria var. hispida), Leaf Trichome, Melon (Cucumis melo), Pumpkin (Cucurbita maxima), Silicon Accumulation, Sponge Gourd (Luffa cylindrica), Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus)
JOURNAL NAME:
American Journal of Plant Sciences,
Vol.10 No.3,
March
25,
2019
ABSTRACT: Silicon deposition in leaf trichome of six
horticultural Cucurbitaceae species, cucumber (Cucumis sativus), pumpkin (Cucurbita
maxima), melon (Cucumis melo),
watermelon (Citrullus lanatus),
sponge gourd (Luffa cylindrica) and
bottle gourd (Lagenaria siceraria var. hispida) was observed by an X-ray
microanalyzer coupled with an environmental scanning electron microscope. The
elements that presented in the surface of three or four leaves of the
individual species were detected and mapped by the
X-ray microanalyzer. In leaves of cucumber, pumpkin, and melon, high
accumulation of silicon was detected in cells surrounding the bases of the
trichome hair and the hair itself deposited calcium. On the other hand, in sponge
gourd and bottle gourd, high accumulation of silicon was detected only in the
hair. In watermelon leaves, silicon deposited both in the hair and in cells
surrounding the bases of the hair. Thus, horticultural Cucurbitaceae plants
have interspecific variation in the
pattern of silicon deposition in leaf trichomes.