How do plants enlarge? A balancing act. Workship on plant growth: Final report
There are signals that coordinate the development of various plant parts and thus the rates of enlargement of various plant parts and these were explored during the workshop. The participants tried to systematize their knowledge and identify over-arching concepts that need more investigation. It was generally agreed that the cell wall cannot be viewed as a passive plastic material. Synthesis and deposition take place and cause changes in the molecular architecture of the wall. Questions arise from the fact that the wall is not a constant or uniform structure but undergoes highly organized changes during enlargement while bearing a considerable load. Recent advances in signaling, biochemical analysis and ultrastructure visualization are beginning to relate to the molecular load-bearing and enzymatic activities in the wall. The participants agreed that there probably is enough information to begin developing a comprehensive model that would balance wall effects with the limitation of growth by transport, especially for water, and this could help clarify events occurring at different time scales and places. Beyond that, there seems to be a need to resolve problems of solute transport and wall behavior that are poorly understood in growing regions, leaving many promising areas for future experiments. Understanding each balancing act seems to be just the beginning.
- Research Organization:
- Univ. of Delaware, Newark, DE (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Energy Research, Washington, DC (United States); National Science Foundation, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- FG02-96ER20233
- OSTI ID:
- 676936
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-9608243-1; ON: DE99000976; BR: KC0600000; TRN: AHC29821%%69
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: Workshop on plant growth, Lewes, DE (United States), 18-21 Aug 1996; Other Information: PBD: [1996]
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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