Electron-probe microassay studies of silicon deposits in the roots of two species of Andropogon

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Abstract
Nodal roots of soil-grown specimens of Andropogon gerardii Vitman and A. scoparius Michx. were subjected to Si microassay by means of the electron-probe microanalyzer and the scanning electron microscope.Si was confined to the inner tangential wall of the tertiary-state endodermal cells in the form of nodular silica aggregates. Comparisons are made between the two species in terms of the morphology of these aggregates and the Si microassay values. The results are discussed in relation to previous studies of endodermal silicification in Sorghum roots and in relation to other genera within the Andropogoneae.