The Ultrastructure of Cotyledonary Tissue from Gossypium Hirsutum L. Seeds

Quiescent cottonseeds stored in a dry, anaerobic situation for over a year have been shown to contain cells whose contents are ultrastructurally similar to those of normal, fully hydrated plant cells. Plastids, mitochondria, and nuclei of the cells of cotyledon tissue in dry seeds possess normal-looking double membranes even under conditions of extreme desiccation. Previous reports have indicated on the basis of light microscopic work, that the cells of certain dry seeds do not possess nuclear membranes or mitochondria. The cells of the dry cottonseed do contain these structures, however. Dictyosomes have not been observed in the spongy parenchymal cells of the cotyledon tissue; it is suggested that they are concerned with translocation and/or utilization of material. The storage materials in the cells, protein and oil, are contained in vacuolar areas enclosed by a single membrane.