Effect of salicylic acid on leaf anatomy and chloroplast ultrastructure of barley plants

Abstract

Light and electron microscopy were used to relate histological and ultrastructural differences of barley leaves treated with different concentrations of salicylic acid (SA, 100 μM-1 mM). Light microscopy revealed that the thickness of all leaf tissue components decreased in SA-treated plants. The effect was most pronounced on the width of the adaxial epidermis and on the size of the bulliform cells. The chloroplast ultrastructure was also affected by SA treatment. Swelling of grana thylakoids in various degrees, coagulation of the stroma, and increase in chloroplast volume were observed. 1 mM SA caused a vast destruction of the whole plastid structure.