Ectopic formation of trichomes and stomata in floral organs of Arabidopsis thaliana induced by thidiazuron

Abstract

Thidiazuron (TDZ), a urea derivative, was applied to the inflorescences of Arabidopsis thaliana at early stages of development to study its effect on flower development. Scanning electron microscope observations revealed that TDZ induced the formation of branched trichomes on sepals and carpels and stomata on petals that are not normally produced on these organs. Concurrently, TDZ also suppressed the development of pollen grains in the anthers and ovules in the ovaries. In addition, TDZ induced an increase in the size of all the floral organs except stamens. These observations suggest that thidiazuron alters the differentiation processes in floral organs by inducing the production of traits that are characteristic of cauline leaves, i.e., trichomes and stomata. Key words: Arabidopsis thaliana, flower development, stomata, thidiazuron, trichomes.

Urea derivatives on the move: cytokinin‐like activity and adventitious rooting enhancement depend on chemical structure

“…1981), sprouting of potato (Ji & Wang 1988), growth of pumpkin cotyledons (Burkhanova et al. 1984), and formation of branched trichomes and stomata on floral organs (Venglat & Sawhney 1994). Thidiazuron has also been used in regeneration of woody plant species, in which organogenesis was only possible in the presence of high concentrations of adenine‐type cytokinins (Briggs et al.…”