WOUND REACTIONS IN BAMBOO CULMS AND RHIZOMES*

Abstract

Bamboo culms and rhizomes respond to wounds in order to protect the surrounding tissues against damaging influences through the wound surfaces. The defence arsenal consists of a number of cellular reactions such as closure of sieve tubes by callose, formation of slime and tyloses, phenolics, suberised wall layers, wall lignification and also septa development in fibres. These responses are similar to those in hardwoods, but due to lack of a secondary meristem, neither a barrier zone nor a callus for wound closing can be developed. There is also accumulation and mobilisation of starch around the wound, development of additional lamellae of the cell wall in parenchyma cells and fibres, and the formation of a suberin layer in vascular parenchyma cells. The spatial expansion of the wound reaction shows a distinct lateral boundary, but axially, it fades out gradually.