| Summary: | The leaf anatomy of sugar cane varieties ´B 49119´, ´B37161´, ´B 4362´, ´B 41227´and ´PR 980´ was studied. The vascular sheath characteristic by round cells, with starch-accumulating chloroplasts. The stomata of the varieties ´B 4362´and ´PR 980´ are at the level of the epidermal cells; the remaining three varieties have all sunken stomata; this character would indicate differences in drought resistance among these varieties. ´B 37161´, besides, has a cuticle whose width is about half that in the other varieties. Cells with internal folds are found below the stomata, especially in the ´B 37161´ variety. These cells are typical of grasses, and their role is yet unknown. These are also differences in the number of schlerenchyma fibers around the vascular bundles in the different varieties. In general, the schlerenchyma fibers are located in groups at the polar ends of the vascular bundles; in ´B 4362´, ´B41227´and ´PR 980´, there are also fibers inside the bundle. The fibers are especially abundant in var ´B 37161´, where they may be seen surrounding the vascular bundles.
|
|---|