Starch and lipids during cambial reactivation

Starch and lipids during cambial reactivation

Cambial reactivation in trees occurs from late winter to early spring when the supply of carbohydrates from photosynthesis is minimal or almost non-existent. Begum et al. apply localized heating to stems of Cryptomeria japonica and use image analysis to find that levels and number of starch granules in the cambium and phloem and levels of lipid droplets in the cambium decrease during the period from cambial reactivation to xylem differentiation. They therefore suggest that these storage materials might be utilized as sources of energy for initiation of cambial cell division and differentiation of xylem.