Influence of environmental conditions on anatomical and morphological parameters of Weigela leaves

Abstract. The anatomical features of the leaves are susceptible to environmental factors and, therefore, are very plastic in their development. However, how these indicators differ depending on the influence of environmental factors remains unclear, especially with regard to plants growing in agrocenoses. The purpose of our research is to study the variability of anatomical and morphological parameters of Weigela leaves depending on the growing conditions. We have studied the anatomical structure of Weigela leaves in various ecological growing conditions: in the botanical garden "Tree of Friendship" of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Subtropical Botanical Garden of Kuban (SBGK), according to a set of anatomical and morphological parameters (leaf blade thickness, development of the palisade and spongy parenchyma, upper and lower epidermis). To do this, the leaves of different ecotypes were studied: those growing in a well-lit (average illumination of 53,000 lux) area of the botanical garden "Tree of Friendship" and under the canopy of trees (illumination of 28,000 lux) in the Subtropical Botanical Garden of Kuban (SBGK, Sochi). Our results showed that the anatomical features of weigela leaves vary in varieties depending on their growing places. It is shown that the highest values (thickness: leaf, palisade and spongy parenchyma, lower and upper epidermis) in various environmental conditions were noted in the variety 'Mont Blanc', and the lowest in 'Eva Ratke'. It is noted that the palisade parenchyma is most developed in the 'Mont Blanc' variety, both in conditions of full illumination (84.7±2.9 microns) and in shading (62.2±2.6 microns). The lowest values were obtained for the ‘Eva Ratke’ variety, while a decrease in the thickness of the front garden fabric was noted in full light conditions (33.7±2.4 microns) and an increase in shade (36.3±3.1 microns). Key words: Weigela, anatomical parameters, leaves, illumination, mesophyll cells, palisade parenchyma, stomata