Anatomical and chemical alterations but not photosynthetic dynamics and apoplastic transport changes are involved in the brittleness culm mutation of rice.

Brittleness culm is an important agronomic trait that has a potential usefulness in agricultural activity as animal forage although the developmental mechanism is not clear yet. In the present study, the anatomical and chemical characteristics as well as some ecophysiological features in the brittleness culm mutation of rice (Oryza sativa L.) were investigated. Compared with the wild type (WT), the brittleness culm mutant (bcm) exhibited higher culm vascular bundle distance and lower culm wall thickness, leaf interveinal distance and leaf thickness. Ratio of bundle sheath cell/whole bundle and areas of whole vascular bundles and bundle sheath of leaves were reduced while ratios of xylem and phloem to whole bundles were elevated in bcm. The Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) microspectroscopy analysis and further histochemical and physiological measurements revealed that the different contents and depositions of cell wall components such as pectins, lignin, suberin and cellulose all participated in the mutation of brittleness. However, the mutant presented no significant changes in leaf photosynthetic dynamics and apoplastic transport ability. These results strongly indicate that the alterations in anatomical and chemical characteristics, rather than changes in major ecophysiological features such as photosynthesis and apoplastic transport were involved in the brittleness mutation of rice.