It has been generally held in botany that Oryza sativa L. is a monocotyledon. Based on studies of rice embryo development we confirmed that rice embryo has two dimorphic cotyledons rather than just one cotyledon. In the present study we attempt to know if the morphology of embryos in other species of Oryza differs from O. sativa and if these embryos have dimorphic cotyledon. Two types of embryo structures were observed in 22 species and/or subspecies of genus Oryza under the scanning electron microscope. Type 1, the O.sativa type, which is characterized by ventral scale and lateral scales, was found in 16 species. Type 2, the O. meyeriana (Zoll. et Mor. ex Steud.) Baill. ssp. tuberculata W. C. Wu et Y. G. Lu, G. C. Wang type, with no ventral scale and lateral scales, was found in 6 species and subspecies. The embryogenic process of O.sativa and O.meyeriana sub. tuberculata showed that the scutellum primordium, coleorhiza primordium, coleoptile primordium and shoot apical meristem directly differentiate from proembryo. The former two later develop into the embryo envelope, which is the outside cotyledon; the coleoptile primordium develops into the coleoptile with the shape of inverted empty cone surrounding and covering the growth cone, which is the apical cotyledon. Both types of rice embryos have dimorphic cotyledons. The structural difference between them is that the scutellum primordium of the young embryo in type 2 does not differentiate ventral scale and lateral scales while the embryo of type 1 does. The dimorphic cotyledons of embryo of Oryza plants originate from the dorsiventrality of proembryo.
A series of new cognitions on the morphogenesis of maize ( Zea mays L.) embryo have been obtained with scanning electron microscopy and semi-thin section techniques. 1. The proembryo. The proembryo from zygotic cell divisions may be divided into three parts: proper, hypoblast and suspensor. The suspensor is short and small, and only exists transiently. As to the hypoblast there is a growth belt, which promotes elongation of the hypoblast. Eventually the upper portion of the hypoblast contributes to the formation of the coleorhiza and the remainder dries up, sticking to the end of the coleorhiza. 2. The maize embryo possesses dorsiventrality and cotyledon dimorphism. During early proembryo stage, the dorsiventrality appears in the proper of the embryo. On the ventral side, the cells are small with dense cytoplasm and few vacuoles. On the dorsal side, the cells are larger with lower cytoplasmic density and have more vacuoles. During later proembryo stage, the proper develops into two parts: the ventrum and the dorsurn. The ventrum rises up from the center of the ventral side. The dorsurn is composed of the marginal area of the ventral side and the whole dorsal side of the proper. During young embryo development, the ventrum differentiates into the coleoptile, apical meristem, hypocotyl, radicle and the main part of the coleorhiza. What is more important, the emergence of coleoptile primordium and radicular initials occur at the axis of the proper, then the coleoptile primordium expands from its two ends toward left and right to form a ring, and the endogenous radicular initials expand in all directions to form a conical radicular tip. All these morphogenetic activities of the ventrum follow a bilateral symmetrical pattern. The dorsurn forms the scutellum. primordium. Then the scutellum primordium, expands rapidly toward the left, right, front and back, while thickening itself, so as to make all components originating from the ventrum become hidden in the longitudinal groove of the scutellum. Lastly, the left and ri
