Caracterização anatômica da lâmina foliar de populações de Bromus auleticus Trin. Ex Nees (Poaceae)

Leaf anatomy of Urochloa brizantha and Urochloa ruziziensis (Poaceae) plants subjected to different fertilization management practices

“…Qualitative analyses revealed only lipid impregnations on epidermal cells (Figures 1 and 2). According to Paciullo (2002) and Carneiro, Bordignon, Scheffer-Basso and Agnol (2008), the nutritional value of forage grasses can be inferred from traits of foliar cells and tissues. For instance, epidermal cells may show thick secondary cell walls impregnated with lignin and lipid substances, which thereby negatively affects digestibility; this, however, was not found in our study.…”

“…In both studied species we observed several bulliform cells on the adaxial epidermis of the leaf blade. Carneiro et al (2008) reported that an average three to five of these specialized cells per group of cells provides the plant withincreased resistance against water stress.…”

“…Forage species with C4-metabolism, Kranz-anatomy bundle sheaths and homogenous chlorenchyma are less recommended as cattle food than grasses with the C3-metabolism anatomy, as the former have reduced intercellular spaces and more compactly arranged cells, which thus hampers leaf degradation during digestion (Carneiro et al, 2008). Although the cell arrangement in C3 forage species leaves provide them with higher digestibility, the species studied herein, which have Kranz anatomy, show higher growth, higher foraging potential and higher resistance against elevated temperatures, while also showing increased yield with lower amounts of water (Valente et al, 2011).…”