A comparative histological study between normal and fasciated shoots of Prunus avium generated in vitro

A combination of Murashige and Skoogs medium and N⁶–benzyladenine (BA) at various concentrations (0, 0.1, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, 1.0, 1.25 and 1.5 mg l^–1) was supplied to shoot tips from root cuttings of a 50-year-old wild-cherry tree (Prunus avium). The concentration of BA in the growing medium was a determining factor with respect to the number of proliferated shoots per explant in vitro.Normal and fasciated shoots were generated when BA was present at 0.5, 0.75, 1.0 and 1.25 mg l^–1 in the medium and the mean numbers of normal shoots per explant were 3.63, 5.37, 8.93 and 7.30 respectively, and those of the fasciated shoots per explant were 0.03, 0.1, 0.47 and 0.4 respectively. Anatomical analysis by confocal microscopy of sections of paraffin-embedded specimens revealed that the cell structure and organization of the cortex and vascular cylinder in the fasciated shoots was similar to that in normal shoots. However, the cross-sectional area of stem of the fasciations was apparently greater than that of the normal shoots. In particular, the volume of vascular tissues, of pith and of some individual parenchyma cells in the cortex and pith was apparently greater in fasciated shoots than in normal shoots. Increases in cytokinesis and morphogenetic activity, such as the development of callus-like regions and the formation of adventitious shoots, were observed in the cortex and pith throughout the fasciations. The fasciated shoots had numerous buds and initiating new shoots at their apices while normal shoots had a single dominant axial bud.