A HISTOLOGICAL STUDY OF SEED SHATTERING IN REED CANARY GRASS

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Abstract
Individual spikelets of reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea L.) were examined histologically to determine the mechanism of seed shattering. It was observed that shattering is a two-stage process, involving disarticulation of the rachilla approximately 12 days after anthesis, followed by subsequent release of the seed from the glumes. In both high- and low-shattering greenhouse-grown material no spikelets were observed histologically in which the seed was still attached later than 14 days after anthesis. In low-shattering clones the glumes retained the seed within the spikelet. No clear-cut histological differences in glume structure were observed between high- and low-shattering clones. The presence of a constriction at the base of the glumes of some spikelets of high-shattering clones requires further investigation since this indicates the possibility of selection based on glume morphology. Differences in glume length and seed weight among clones were not significantly correlated with shattering percentage. However, within clones, shattered seeds were heavier than non-shattered seeds.