Electrical and mechanical fields orient cortical microtubules in higher plant tissues

Microtubules are a major component of the plant cytoskeleton. The factors which control the orientation of microtubules in plants are unknown. In this paper we describe preliminary findings that non-injurious electrical fields or mechanical fields, applied to pea roots, can cause a re-orientation of cortical microtubules which then lie in a plane approximately perpendicular to the direction of the applied field, within 6 hours. These results provide the first experimental evidence that physical fields can control the orientation of microtubules in plant tissues.