The Fine Structure of some Dry Seed Tissues Observed after Completely Anhydrous Chemical Fixation

Completely anhydrous fixation with acrolein vapour or osmiumtetroxide vapour was applied to tissues of air-dry seeds: thecoleoptile of wheat (Trilicum aestivum), and plumule and radicleof mung bean (Vigna radiata). Great shrinkage of cells and organelleswas noted, but all the usual organelles could be identified,except for Golgi bodies and (in most cases) ribosomes. The endoplasmicreticulum was very abundant and endoplasmic reticulum tubuleswere closely associated with the storage organelles, namelylipid bodies in the wheat coleoptile, and protein bodies inthe mung bean embryo axis. Aqueous fixation resulted in considerabledistortion of cellular structure. Triticum aestivum L., wheat, Vigna radiata L., mung bean, seed, fine structure, anhydrous fixation