Role of ethylene in activation of cell division in quiescent center of excised maize roots

In the present work, two maize cultivars in which root meristem responded differently to root tip excision were used: in Interkras-375 MW, meristem opening was observed due to the activation of cell divisions in the quiescent center (QC); in Krasnodar-194 MW, the meristem remained closed. Excised root tips of Interkras MB-375 were shown to produce much more ethylene than excised root tips of Krasnodar-194 MW. The inhibitor of ethylene biosynthesis L-α-(2-amino-ethoxyvinyl)glycine-HCl (AVG) and inhibitors of ethylene action AgNO3 and 1-methyl-cyclopropene (MCP) prevented meristem opening in excised root tips of Intekras-375 MW. The obtained results allow us to conclude that ethylene plays an important role in the activation of cell divisions in the QC of excised root tips.