The photosynthetic and structural differences between leaves and siliques of Brassica napus exposed to potassium deficiency

Table 4 Effects of K-deficiency on chloroplast ultrastructure of leaves and siliques

Organs	Treatment	Frequency (no. per cell)	Length (μm)	Thickness (μm)	D _chl-cw (μm)	V _chl (μm³)	S _chl (μm²)
Leaf	-K	10.9 ± 0.9a¹	5.77 ± 0.20b	3.13 ± 0.13a	0.426 ± 0.057a	32.03 ± 2.69a	47.18 ± 2.77a
Leaf	+K	15.5 ± 1.2a	6.97 ± 0.18a	2.44 ± 0.08b	0.101 ± 0.010b	22.21 ± 1.44b	37.57 ± 1.60b
Silique	-K	11.2 ± 0.7b	4.96 ± 0.80a*	3.06 ± 0.89a	0.313 ± 0.021a*	26.48 ± 3.43a*	41.58 ± 3.50a*
Silique	+K	13.3 ± 1.2a*²	5.34 ± 1.46a*	1.55 ± 0.62b*	0.099 ± 0.005b	10.63 ± 2.32b*	18.71 ± 2.92b*

Data represent mean ± standard error (SE) of at least 30 replicates. D _chl-cw, the distance between the chloroplast and cell wall; V _chl, chloroplast volume; S _chl, chloroplast surface area
Different letters indicate statistically significant differences (P < 0.05) between the -K and +K treatments
*Indicates statistically significant differences (P < 0.05) between the two organs under the same treatment conditions

ISSN: 1471-2229