Electron Probe Microanalysis of Silicon Deposition in the Inflorescence Bracts of the Rice Plant (Oryza Sativa)

The deposition of silicon in tissues of the inflorescence bracts of rice has been studied with the electron probe microanalyzer. Tissues for analysis were prepared by means of peels, frozen transverse and longitudinal sections, chromations and macerations. The microanalysis shows the heaviest deposition in a layer external to the abaxial (outer) epidermis. The cells of this epidermis are only sparsely silicified, but the’ imprints of these cells are left on the outer silica layer. In the inner tissues of the bracts, silicon deposition is mostly associated with the cell walls.