Development of Golgi Apparatus in the Root Cap Cells of Maize (Zea mays L.) as Affected by Compacted Soil

Effects of soil mechanical impedance on the development of Golgi apparatus in the root cap cells of maize were studied under controlled soil-water conditions Heavily compacted soil (bulk density = 1.50 g cm−2) had 3.3 to 3.4 times greater mechanical impedance than control soil (bulk density = 1.33 g cm−3), but their oxygen diffusion rates were not significantly different The number of dictyosomes and the number and area of secretory vesicles per unit area of tangentially sub-peripheral root cap cells in the heavily compacted soil increased compared to those in the control These results suggest that secretory activity of the root cap cells is promoted by soil mechanical impedance