Structure and Function of Roots : Proceedings of the Fourth International Symposium on Structure and Function of Roots, June 20–26, 1993, Stará Lesná, Slovakia

In 1971, the late Dr. J. Kolek of the Institute of Botany, Bratislava, organized the first International Symposium devoted exclusively to plant roots. At that time, perhaps only a few of the participants, gathered together in Tatranska Lomnica, sensed that a new era of root meetings was beginning. Nevertheless, it is now clear that Dr. Kolek's action, undertaken with his characteristic enormous enthusiasm, was rather pioneering, for it started a series a similar meetings. Moreover, what was rather exceptional at the time was the fact that the meeting was devoted to the functioning of just a single organ, the root. One possible reason for the unexpected success of the original, perhaps naive, idea of a Root Symposium might lie with the fact that plant roots have always been extremely popular as experimental material for cytologists, biochemists and physiologists whishing to probe processes as diverse as cell division and solute transport. Of course, the connection of roots with the rest of the plant is not forgotten either. This wide variety of disciplines is now coupled with the development of increasingly sophisticated experimental techniques to study some of these old problems. These factors undoubtedly contribute to the necessity of continuing the tradition of the root symposia. The common theme of root function gives, in addition, a certain unity to all these diverse activities. Front Matter....Pages I-IX Front Matter....Pages 1-1 Structure and function at the root apex — phylogenetic and ontogenetic perspectives on apical cells and quiescent centres....Pages 3-18 The origin of the basal part of the embryo root in Brassica napus L. and its role in growth of early seedlings....Pages 19-26 Radicle of Echinocactus platyacanthus (Cactaceae)....Pages 27-31 The relation between cell size, chromosome length and the orientation of chromosomes in dividing root cortex cells....Pages 33-39 Importance of the post-mitotic isodiametric growth (PIG) region for growth and development of roots....Pages 41-51 The completion of cell proliferation and growth in wheat radicle....Pages 53-59 Structural basis of root hair formation: Early development of trichoblasts and atrichoblasts....Pages 61-67 The relationship between growth, nucleus migration and cytoskeleton in root hairs of radish....Pages 69-74 Morphology and anatomy of rice roots with special reference to coordination in organo- and histogenesis....Pages 75-86 The localization of β -glucuronidase in roots of transgenic sugar beet by means of azocoupling procedure....Pages 87-89 Effect of gibberellin and ancymidol on the growth and cell wall components of pea ( Pisum sativum L.) roots....Pages 91-98 Structural and physiological characteristics of the tap root of Smyrnium perfoliatum L. (Apiaceae)....Pages 99-105 Increased root length and branching in cotton by soil application of the plant growth regulator PGR-IV....Pages 107-112 Modelling of the branching process of the root system of young oil palm seedlings. A Markovian approach....Pages 113-119 Front Matter....Pages 121-121 Effects of vanadate on the ATP content, ATPase activity and phosphate absorption capacity of maize roots....Pages 123-128 Ion permeability of maize root membrane vesicles: Studies with light scattering....Pages 129-132 The role of plasma membrane-bound activities in nitrate transport into sealed plasma membrane vesicles from Cucumis sativus L. roots....Pages 133-140 Influence of constant nitrate concentration on N uptake and growth of wheat....Pages 141-147 Al avoidance and Al tolerance of Mucuna pruriens var. utilis : Effects of a heterogeneous root environment and the nitrogen form in the root environment....Pages 149-154 Phosphate transfer in VA mycorrhizas. Special mechanisms or not?....Pages 155-161 Front Matter....Pages 121-121 Phosphatase induction under stress conditions in wheat....Pages 163-167 Changes in respiration and ultrastructure of radicle mitochondria during early germination in isolated wheat embryos....Pages 169-173 Comparison of phytate in radicle, plumule, scutellum and endosperm of Zea mays and Zea diploperennis seeds....Pages 175-180 The effect of vanadate on growth and phospholipid levels in the root and hypocotyl of bean seedlings ( Phaseolus vulgaris L.)....Pages 181-187 Distribution of soil invertase in relation to the root systems of Picea sitchensis (Bong.) Carr. and Acer pseudoplatanus L. during development of young plants....Pages 189-193 Front Matter....Pages 195-195 Water transport across roots....Pages 197-208 Hydrostatic and osmotic hydraulic conductivities and reflection coefficients of onion ( Allium cepa L.) roots....Pages 209-213 Root hydraulic properties of spruce measured with the pressure probe....Pages 215-222 The development of melon roots under trickle irrigation: Effects of the location of the emitters....Pages 223-225 Front Matter....Pages 227-227 Effects of nitrogen source, nitrate concentration and salt stress on element and ion concentrations in transport fluids and on C and N flows in Ricinus communis L.....Pages 229-236 Abscisic acid in the ear of winter wheat: Transport from the roots, the leaves, or biosynthesis in situ?....Pages 237-241 Hormones and root-shoot relationships in flooded plants — an analysis of methods and results....Pages 243-251 Translocation of nutritional and growth regulating substances in vitro to the developing roots and shoots of cucumber explants....Pages 253-256 Root respiration and its importance for the carbon balance of beech saplings ( Fagus sylvatica L.) in a montane beech forest....Pages 257-267 Front Matter....Pages 269-269 Impact of the exodermis on infection of roots by Fusarium culmorum ....Pages 271-276 Ultrastructural responses of root caps to the herbicides chlorsulfuron and metsulfuron methyl....Pages 277-284 Biophysics of the growth responses of pea roots to changes in penetration resistance....Pages 285-291 Tolerance of meristematic root cells to desiccation in seeds; protection of the nucleus....Pages 293-298 Inhibition of root growth by salinity stress: Toxicity or an adaptive biophysical response?....Pages 299-304 Distribution of calcium in tomato plants in response to heat stress and plant growth regulators....Pages 305-310 Front Matter....Pages 269-269 Safety zone as a barrier to root-shoot ice propagation....Pages 311-317 The binding of zinc, but not cadmium, by phytic acid in roots of crop plants....Pages 319-326 Differences in the metabolic responses of root tips of wheat and rye to aluminium stress....Pages 327-333 Phytohormonal levels in spruce roots under aluminium stress....Pages 335-339 Distribution of root biomass and length in Picea abies ecosystem under different immission regimes....Pages 341-347 Sporocarp succession of mycorrhizal fungi in the Norway spruce plantations in formerly agricultural land....Pages 349-352 Back Matter....Pages 353-355

These papers summarize the present status of knowledge related to the structure and function of primary root tissues and their cells, as presented at the Fourth International Symposium on the Structure and Functions of Roots. The organizers assembled leading scientists from all over the world. All five subject areas that were presented at the Symposium are covered in the book.

Proceedings of the 4th International Symposium on Structure and Function of Roots, Stara Lesna, Slovakia, June 20--26, 1993