New Zealand Journal of Botany abstracts

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Effects of silverleaf infection on ultrastructure of foliage of Prunus, Rosa, and Populus

A. G. SPIERS
W. R. N. EDWARDS

Soil Conservation Centre, Aokautere
Ministry of Works and Development
Palmerston North, New Zealand

D. H. HOPCROFT

Electron Microscope Laboratory
Biotechnology Division, DSIR
Palmerston North, New Zealand

Abstract Foliage of peach, rose, and poplar, sil- vered as a result of stem infection by Chondro- stereum purpureum, was examined by both light and electron microscopy. Silvered leaves had fewer palisade cells which were more loosely arranged than in healthy leaves. Also, the epidermis became detached from palisade cells. Both palisade and spongy mesophyll cells were highly vacuolate, and moribund chloroplasts were packed with starch granules. Cells micro-organelles showed little ultra- structural change apart from the chloroplasts which become more electron dense, and the thylakoids and intergranal lamellae which became disorgan- ised. Leaf area, transpiration, and stomatal con- ductance decreased significantly as the intensity of leaf-silvering increased. Stomata of severely-sil- vered leaves remained closed. Affected foliage pos- sibly died of starvation as a result of severe water stress arising from physical occlusion of vessels in conjunction with possible toxin action in the leaves.

Keywords rose; poplar silverleaf; chloroplasts; starch; peach;

Received 4 September 1986; accepted 20 October 1986
New Zealand Journal of Botany, 1987, Vol. 25: 411-423
0028-825X/87/2503-0411$2.50/0 © Crown copyright 1987

PDF file of entire paper: medium quality (5704K); (scanned from paper original: notes about this process)

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