Quantitative Analysis of the Structure of Etiolated Barley Leaf Using Stereological Methods

Anatomical and morphological characteristics of the first leaf blade of barley ( Hordeum vulgare L. cv. Korál) were studied in light-grown plants and compared with those grown in darkness. Etiolated leaves had a higher length/width ratio and a higher proportion of intercellular spaces than light-grown leaves. There were also differences in the distribution of stomata in the leaf. However, the leaf area and volume, as well as other stomatal and mesophyll characteristics did not differ significantly between the two variants. This supports the hypothesis that the first leaf anatomy depends primarily on internal factors of plant development.