%0 Journal Article %T Histochemical Localization of Citral Accumulating Cite in Lemongrass (Cymbopogon flexuosus Ness Ex. Steud) Wats Cultivar OD-19 %A Rajesh Luthra %A Ashok K. Srivastava %A Deepak Ganjewala %J Asian Journal of Plant Sciences %D 2007 %I %X The aerial parts (leaves) of lemongrass (Cymbopogon flexuosus Nees ex Steud) wats (cultivar OD-19) on steam-distillation yield an essential oil rich in acyclic monoterpenes, citral (83%). To specifically locate the sites of citral accumulation in lemongrass we employed Schiff¡¯s reagent, which upon reaction with aldehydes (citral) gives a purple-red colouration. Using this technique, single oil-accumulating cells were detected in the adaxial side of leaf mesophyll commonly adjacent to non-photosynthetic tissue and between vascular bundles. In addition to cultivar OD-19, a citral lacking cultivar GRL-1 (geraniol rich) leaf sections, also stained with schiff¡¯s reagent and compared with that of lemongrass cultivar OD-19 leaf sections. In lemongrass mutant GRL-1, these specialized cells, however, could not be stained due to lack of citral. Hence, it is confirm that the observed schiff¡¯s staining is associated with accumulated citral. %K Geraniol rich lemongrass (GRL-1) %K Cymbopogon %K oil cells %K geraniol %K citral %K schiff`s reagent %U http://docsdrive.com/pdfs/ansinet/ajps/2007/419-422.pdf