Botany; Geotropism; Plants -- Irritability and movements
Another seed was treated and observed in the same manner, but the
radicle in this case protruded .1 inch, and was not fastened so as to
project quite vertically upwards. The filament was affixed close to its
base. The tracing (Fig. 2, reduced by half) shows the movement from 9
A.M. Jan. 31st to 7 A.M. Feb. 2nd; but it continued to move during the
whole of the
2nd in the same general direction, and in a similar zigzag manner. From
the radicle not being quite perpendicular when the filament was affixed
geotropism came into play at once; but the irregular zigzag course
shows that there was growth (probably preceded by turgescence),
sometimes on one and sometimes on another side. Occasionally the bead
remained stationary for about an hour, and then probably growth
occurred on the side opposite to that which caused the geotropic
curvature. In the case previously described the basal part of the very
short radicle from being turned vertically upwards, was at first very
little affected by geotropism. Filaments were affixed in two other
instances to rather longer radicles protruding obliquely from seeds
which had been turned upside down; and in these cases the lines traced
on the horizontal glasses were only slightly zigzag, and the movement
was always in the same general direction, through the action of
geotropism. All these observations are liable to several causes of
error, but we believe, from what will hereafter be shown with respect
to the movements of the radicles of other plants, that they may be
largely trusted.
Fig. 2. Brassica oleracea: circumnutating and geotropic movement of
radicle, traced on horizontal glass during 46 hours.
Hypocotyl.—The hypocotyl protrudes through the seed-coats as a
rectangular projection, which grows rapidly into an arch like the
letter U turned upside down; the cotyledons being still enclosed within
the seed. In whatever position the seed may be embedded in the earth or
otherwise fixed, both legs of the arch bend upwards through
apogeotropism, and thus rise vertically above the ground. As soon as
this has taken place, or even earlier, the inner or concave surface of
the arch grows more quickly than the upper or convex surface; and this
tends to separate the two legs and aids in drawing the cotyledons out
of the buried seed-coats. By the growth of the whole arch the
cotyledons are ultimately dragged from beneath the ground, even from a
considerable depth; and now the hypocotyl quickly straightens itself by
the increased growth of the concave side.
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