[Comparative electron microscopic studies on the localization of silicon in leaves of two different grass species]

The quality of green fodder can be diminished by lignifying and mineralizing the plant cell walls. In many grasses epidermal cell walls are penetrated with silica; those plants are extremely rough and sharp-edged and are not ingested by animals. The process of silicification of cell walls was studied comparatively in two grasses, the soft Perennial Ryegrass (Lolium perenne) and the rough Tufted Hair-grass (Deschampsia caespitosa). In Lolium only the epidermal cell walls of the leaf edges and the trichomes are penetrated with silica, whereas in Deschampsia silica could be demonstrated in the walls of all epidermal cells and of the trichomes. In addition, silica containing cells, the so called silica bodies, were found in Deschampsia leaves. Silica was detected using two analytical electron-microscopical techniques, the Electron-Energy-Loss-Spectroscopy (EELS) and the Electron-Spectroscopic-Imaging (ESI).