Cellular response of plant tissue during the osmotic treatment with sucrose, maltose, and trehalose solutions

The impact of three disaccharides - sucrose, maltose, and trehalose - on cellular shrinkage and cell viability undergone by onion epidermis and strawberry cortex tissue during the osmotic treatment (OT) and further rehydration, in case of onion epidermis, was investigated. Differences in cellular response were observed between both plant tissues. The nature of the sugar employed significantly affected the shrinking behaviour of onion epidermis without having any impact on the cellular shrinkage of strawberry tissue. Cell viability did not suffer any significant change regarding to the nature of the sugar whereas cell viability of strawberry tissue was strongly affected by sugar concentration. The rehydration of onion epidermis showed the ability of plasmolysed cells to respond to environmental changes, keeping their compartmental properties. During OT a redistribution of the cell membrane took place, causing a reduction of the surface membrane available for swelling. A protective effect of maltose and trehalose on plasma membrane was only appreciated in onion epidermis. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.