Linxue Shang^1,2,3,#, Dandan Ma^4,#, Sidan Hong^1,2,3,#, Yu Zhao^1,2,3,#, Guozhe Zhang^1,2,3,#, Qingqing Ma^1,2,3, Qun Wang^1,2,3,*, Cuihua Gu^1,2,3,*

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.91, No.12, pp. 2607-2617, 2022, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2022.022485

Abstract Flower bud differentiation is a key component of plant blooming biology and understanding how it works is vital for flowering regulation and plant genetic breeding, increasing the number and quality of flowering. Red soil is the most widely covered soil type in the world, and it is also the most suitable soil type for crape myrtle planting. The flower buds of crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica) planted in red soil were employed as experimental materials in this study, and the distinct periods of differentiation were identified using stereomicroscopy and paraffin sectioning. We optimized the steps of dehydration, transparency, embedding, sectioning and… More >

Gustavo P. Petrechen^1,4,*, Marcos Arduin³, José D. Ambrósio^1,2

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.7, No.7, pp. 683-692, 2019, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2019.04588

Abstract This article presents the overall morphological structure of the Brazil nut tree (Bertholletia excelsa) fruit pericarp, from macro to nano scale. The acquired knowledge would be used for the development of new applications, like using the materials as fillers for biocomposites, or as a hierarchical architecture model for biomimetics. This research was performed using stereo and light microscopy and conventional and force field emission scanning electron microscopy. The pericarp presents three layers: the exocarp, a dark gray, brittle and fragile outer layer; the mesocarp, a beige, dry, rigid, impermeable and fibrous intermediate layer; and the endocarp, an inner layer with… More >