Aerenchyma development in rice (Oryza sativa L.) roots is quite important for adaptation to waterlogged or reduced soil conditions. Anatomical observations were carried out to clarify the development of schizogenous and lysigenous aerenchyma in elongating crown roots of rice. The crown roots of 3rd and 4th phytomer were taken from rice plants of the 8th leaf stage grown by hydroponic culture. The schizogenous intercellular spaces in the cortex of crown root tip were observed using a light microscope with semi ultra-thin sections and the lysigenous aerenchyma in mature tissue of crown root were observed using a cryo scanning electron microscope (cryo-SEM) with freezing fracture method. The schizogenous intercellular spaces in the root tip exist obviously in the middle portion of cortical cell layers close to the root-root cap junction, but not in root cap, stele and outer cell layers of cortex. The air spaces were formed at the junction of four neighbouring cells of inner cortex in the transverse sections, and between longitudinal cell layer connected along the root axis. Although many of those spaces were filled with liquid, some spaces seem to exist as air spaces. The lysigenous aerenchyma in the cortex, which hardly filled with liquid, emerged at 3-4 cm segment from the root tip and increased toward the basal region of root axis. The developing process of lysigenous aerenchyma was primarily separation of a radial row of cells caused by the shrinking and collapsing of cortical cells and then formation of septa along the radial cell rows by the fusion of cell wall with each other. These results suggest that the schizogenous and lysigenous aerenchyma playa role as a passage for the movement of oxygen into the root tip region where oxygen is required for respiration.

• Si-Yong Kang
• Tomikichi Wada
• Kwan-Sam Choi