Cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata) Development in Time: How Differential Parenchyma Tissue Growth Affects Leafy Head Formation

Zihan Liu, Jorge Alemán-Báez, Richard G.F. Visser, Guusje Bonnema*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

1 Citation (Scopus)

Abstract

This study aims to categorize the morphological changes during cabbage (B. oleracea ssp. capitata) development, seedling, rosette, folding, and heading, and to elucidate the cellular mechanisms of the leaf curvature, essential for the formation of the leafy head. We followed the growth of two cabbage cultivars with distinct head shapes (round and pointed) and one non-heading collard cultivar; we phenotyped the size and volume of the whole plant as well as the size, shape, and curvature of the leaves during growth. By integrating these phenotypic data, we determined the four vegetative stages for both cabbages. The histological phenotypes of microtome sections from five distinct leaf positions of the rosette, folding, and heading leaves at two timepoints during leaf growth were quantified and revealed variations in cellular parameters among leaf types, between leaf positions, and between the adaxial and abaxial sides. We identified two synergistic cellular mechanisms contributing to the curvature of heading leaves: differential growth across the leaf blade, with increased growth at the leaf’s center relative to the margins; and the increased expansion of the spongy parenchyma layer compared to the palisade parenchyma layer, resulting in the direction of the curvature, which is inwards. These two processes together contribute to the typical leafy heads of cabbages.

Original languageEnglish
Article number656
JournalPlants
Volume13
Issue number5
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Mar 2024

Keywords

  • abaxial/adaxial differential growth
  • Brassica oleracea
  • cabbage
  • heading leaves
  • leaf curvature
  • palisade parenchyma
  • rosette leaves
  • spongy parenchyma

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