Dictionary Definition
dehisce v : burst or split open; "flowers dehisce
when they release pollen"
User Contributed Dictionary
English
Pronunciation
dɪ.hɪs'Verb
- intransitive botany
To burst or split open at definite places, discharging seeds, or pollen, or other contents, as the
ripe pods of some plants.
- Anthers dehisce when the flower opens.
- intransitive medicine To rupture or break open, as a surgical wound.
-
- A surgical wound may partially or completely dehisce after surgery, depending upon whether some or all of the layers of tissue come open.
Derived terms
Related terms
Translations
- Russian: раскрываться, растрескиваться
Extensive Definition
Dehiscence is the spontaneous opening at maturity
of a plant structure, such as a fruit, anther, or sporangium, to release its
contents.
Anther dehiscence
This is the final function of the anther that causes the release of pollen grains. The anther wall breaks at a specific site that runs the length of the anther. This site is observed as an indentation between the locules of each theca.The stomium, and septum
are two specialised cell types present at this site. The
degeneration of the stomium and septum cells is part of a
developmentally timed cell-death program. Initially the septum
degenerates thereby establishing the stomium as the future site of
anther wall breakage and pollen release. Expansion of the endothecial
layer and lignification of the endothecial cell walls are required
for dehiscence.
The process of anther dehiscence is coordinated
precisely with pollen differentiation, floral development, and
flower opening.
Fruit dehiscence
Typically a fruit develops from a gynoecium composed of fused carpels, which, upon fertilization, grow to become a silique that contains the developing seeds. After seed maturation, dehiscence takes place, and valves detach from the central septum freeing the seeds. This is also known as shattering and can be important as a seed dispersal mechanism.This process is similar to anther dehiscence and
the region that breaks (dehiscence zone) runs the entire length of
the fruit between the valves and
the replum
(external septum).
At maturity, the dehiscence zone is effectively a
non-lignified layer between a region of lignified cells in the
valve and the replum. Shattering occurs due to the combination of
cell wall loosening in the dehiscence zone and the tensions
established by the differential mechanical properties of the drying
cells in the silique.
Association with crop breeding
Manipulation of dehiscence can improve crop yield since a trait that causes seed dispersal is a disadvantage for farmers whose goal is to collect the seed. Many of the agronomically important plants have been bred for reduced shattering.dehisce in Spanish: Dehiscencia
dehisce in Esperanto: Dehisko
dehisce in French: Déhiscence
dehisce in Irish: Dehiscencia
dehisce in Galician:
Dehiscencia