Leaf anatomical characteristics in Flaveria trinervia (C4), Flaveria brownii (C 4-like) and their F 1 hybrid.

Several leaf anatomical and ultrastructural characteristics usually related with photosynthetic capacity were examined in two Flaveria species with strong differences in anatomy and their F1 hybrid. Flaveria trinervia (Spreng.) Mohr (C4) was the female parent and F. brownii A.M. Powell (C4-like) was the male parent. Quantitative anatomical analysis was made on transverse sections of leaves at both the light and electron microscope level. Four kinds of photosynthetic tissues were considered: bundle sheath (BS), mesophyll adjacent to the BS, mesophyll not adjacent to the BS, and larger spongy mesophyll cells. Flaveria trinvervia partitioned a larger proportion of its photosynthetic cells to BS and the mesophyll layer adjacent to BS and also possessed larger chloroplasts, especially in BS, than did F. brownii. These results suggest that although F. brownii is very C4-like, its anatomy is not as completely C4 as is the case for F. trinervia. In the F1 hybrid the relative contribution of the different tissues to the total photosynthetic tissue volume and area per unit leaf area was quite similar to that of F. trinervia. On the other hand, the chloroplast density and size of the F1 hybrid were fairly similar to those of F. brownii, especially in BS. Thus, there was no evidence of maternal inheritance in the chloroplast characteristics studied. A negative correlation (P<0.05) between chloroplast size and density was observed among species and relicates within each kind of tissue. This correlation was highest (r=-0.94, P<0.001) for the BS and when values were plotted on a logarithmic scale. Thus, higher chloroplast numbers for F. brownii and the F1 hybrid were offset by larger chloroplasts in F. trinervia. Less complete C4 photosynthesis in F. brownii may be partially due to incomplete development of Kranz anatomy usually associated with C4 photosynthesis.