A long-standing mystery surrounding the peculiar "bladder cells" found on resilient plants like quinoa has been debunked by a recent study from the University of Copenhagen. Contrary to a 127-year-old belief, these bladder cells don't function as protective shields against salt and drought, as was previously thought.
The true role of these bladder cells, as revealed by the study, differs significantly but is equally crucial, as reported by SciTech Daily.
This breakthrough discovery opens doors to potentially cultivating even hardier quinoa varieties, paving the way for expanded global cultivation of this sustainable crop.
Under the microscope, these bladder cells may resemble water balloons or intricate glasswork, sparking curiosity about their purpose. Even esteemed plant biologists had misconceptions about these fluid-filled structures enveloping the leaves, clustered flowers, and stems of robust plants for over a century.
Professor Michael Palmgren from the Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences explains, "Quinoa has been hailed as a resilient crop due to its protein richness and high tolerance to drought and salt, making it promising for climate change. The prevailing belief was that the multitude of bladder cells on the plant's surface held the secret to its resilience. It was presumed that they functioned as a reservoir for salt and water. However, our evidence strongly refutes this assumption."
