PRODUCTION OF CONCENTRATED POLYPHENOLS BY THE ROOT CAP CELLS OF CORYLUS ASSOCIATED WITH TUBER - ULTRASTRUCTURAL-STUDY AND ELEMENT LOCALIZATION USING ELECTRON-ENERGY-LOSS SPECTROSCOPY AND IMAGING

In mycorrhizae, root cap cell differentiation is a rapid event. Dark d eposits abruptly invade the cytoplasm and the vacuoles. Finally the va cuoles fill with phenolic deposits and the cytoplasm is moribund. Afte r degradation of the cell wall and cytoplasm, hyphae make contact with polyphenols and penetrate the polyphenols. The polyphenols are incorp orated into the fungal mantle. Microanalysis by means of an electron-e nergy-loss spectrometer (EELS) and an electron imaging system (ESI) re veals the presence of calcium and nitrogen in the polyphenolic materia l just incorporated into the apical mantle. More distant polyphenols n o longer contain calcium but nitrogen is still locally present.