Restart of lignification in micropropagated walnut shoots coincides with rooting induction

Abstract

The lignin content of walnut shoots did not change during in vitro shoot multiplication. Lignin content started to increase as soon as shoots were passed to a rooting medium with auxin. Exogenous auxin (applied for rooting) caused a transient elevation of the endogenous free indoleacetic acid (IAA) content with a simultaneous decrease of peroxidase activity. These events typically marked the completion of the rooting inductive phase (before any visible histological event, that is before the cell divisions beginning the rooting initiation phase). This meant that either the given exogenous auxin or the endogenous IAA has served as signal for the stimulation of lignification. Continued increase of lignification in the shoots required completion of root formation; this increase indeed was slown down when root emergence did not occur. It was further shown that lignification varied conversely to the content of the soluble phenol content, itself apparently being related to the activity of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase activity.