Developmental anatomy and cytochemistry of Consolea style

To identify and locate the site of incompatibility, the structural anatomy of the style and the cytochemistry of its secretions during the stages of development in Consolea have been investigated using light microscope. The pollenpistil interaction studies show strong incompatibility response at the style. The style in Consolea is half closed. It is open with a stylar canal towards the stigma and closed with a core of stylar transmitting tissue towards the ovary. The stylar canal is lined with a morphologically distinct oblong to square stylar canal cells. This canal becomes progressively narrow and closed towards the ovary. The transmitting tissue is compact and oval shaped and forms large intercellular spaces filled with secretions rich in proteins, lipids and enzymes. The secretions reaches its peak value, when the stigma is at receptive and at post pollination stages. The anatomy and cytochemical differences between the metabolites at different regions of the style during the development are discussed from the aspect of pollen-pistil interaction.

Author(s): K. Saroja* and A. B. Vora

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