Characteristics of the Mesophyllous Cells in the Sheaths of Rice (Oryza sativa L.)

The photosynthesis of rice sheath plays a significant role to furnish rice yield, and it is accounted for 10 to 20% of the final yield. But, limited studies have been done to address this phenomenon and to characterize the mesophyllous cells of rice sheath and how it may attribute to the rice yield. In this paper, super hybrid rice Liangyoupeijiu, its parents Wumang 9311 and Peiai 64S, and hybrid rice Shanyou 63 were studied as the experimental materials, and the characteristics of the mesophyllous cells of rice sheaths were examined by microscopic and super-microscopic observation as well as chlorophyll absorption spectrums. The results showed that rice sheath was rich in the intact mesophyllous cells full of chloroplasts, grana and thylakoids, which were much the same as those of rice blade. The absorption spectrum curves of the Chi. a and b of the sheaths were similar to those of the blades. The stomatal density in the outer epidermises of the sheaths was comparable to those in the up- and down-epidermises of the blades. The significant tests proved that the amount of chloroplast per mesophyllous cell of the sheaths was almost the same as those of the blades, and the mesophyllous cells in the sheaths were also rich in chlorophylls. The chlorophyll content of rice sheath reached about 50% of the chlorophyll content of rice blade, and the P_n of the sheath/the blade ranged from 13.60 to 34.57%. Therefore, rice sheath was also full of the intact photosynthetic apparatus similar to those in rice blade, and had capabilities of photosynthesis. The statistical analysis revealed that the physiological senescence of the photosynthetic apparatus in both the sheath and the blade of Liangyoupeijiu was significantly slower than those of the other varieties at the late stages. The profuse grain-filling stage was an inflexion point of the physiological senescence of the chloroplasts and the chlorophylls of both the blades and the sheaths.