Transport of assimilates in the developing caryopsis of rice (Oryza sativa L.) : Ultrastructure of the pericarp vascular bundle and its connections with the aleurone layer

Assimilates entering the developing rice caryopsis traverse a short-distance pathway between the terminal sieve elements of the pericarp vascular bundle and the aleurone layer. The ultrastructure of this pathway has been studied. Sieve elements in the pericarp vascular bundle are smaller than their companion cells.The sieve elements show few connections with surrounding vascular parenchyma elements but are connected to companion cells by compound plasmodesmata. Companion cells, in turn, are connected to vascular parenchyma elements by numerous compound plasmodesmata present in wall thickenings. Assimilates leaving the sieve element - companion cell complex must laterally traverse cells of the pigment strand before they come into contact with the aleurone layer. The pigment strand cells have modified inner walls made up of a suberin-like material. This material may act as a permeability barrier isolating the apoplast from the symplast of the pigment strand. The walls of the pigment strand cells are traversed by numerous plasmodesmata. Water may be conducted to the endosperm through the isolated cell-wall system of the pigment strand while assimilates possibly move via plasmodesmata. High frequencies of plasmodesmata occur at the junction between the pigment strand and the nucellus and also between adjacent cells of the nucellus. By contrast, plasmodesmata are absent between the nucellus and the aleurone layer and also between the nucellus and the seed coat. A predominantly circumferential and symplastic transport pathway is likely between the pigment strand and nucellus. In view of the total absence of plasmodesmata between the nucellus and the aleurone layer assimilates entering the endosperm may have to cross the plasmalemma of the nucellus. It is possible that constraints to the flow of assimilates may occur in the short-distance pathway between the terminal sieve element - companion cell complexes and the endosperm, and this is discussed.