TY - JOUR T1 - Determination of Cell Division and Expansion Periods in Melon Seedling AU - Aras, Servet AU - Aydöner Çoban, Gökçe PY - 2025 DA - September Y2 - 2025 DO - 10.31015/2025.3.16 JF - International Journal of Agriculture Environment and Food Sciences JO - int. j. agric. environ. food sci. PB - Gültekin ÖZDEMİR WT - DergiPark SN - 2618-5946 SP - 778 EP - 782 VL - 9 IS - 3 LA - en AB - This study aimed to investigate the cell division and expansion processes occurring in cortical cells after germination in melon (Cucumis melo L.) seedlings over time. Cell size and cell number were measured in hypocotyl cross-sections taken at certain intervals from the 4th day to the 18th day after germination, and the obtained data were evaluated statistically. The results show that cell division is particularly intense in the early period (between the 4th and 10th days), and after this period, cell number stabilizes and there is a significant increase in cell size. These findings reveal that cortical tissue development in melon hypocotyl follows a two-phase model: the first is the cell division phase, in which mitotic activity is dominant, and the second is the growth phase, in which cell expansion is prominent. In addition, it was concluded that the application of mitosis-promoting hormones such as cytokinin during the division period and growth-promoting regulators such as gibberellic acid during the expansion period can optimize tissue development. This study contributes to the development of timing-based growth management strategies for seedling and tissue culture applications. KW - Cell division KW - Cell expansion KW - Cortex KW - Melon KW - Seedling CR - An, S., Bae, J. H., Kim, H. C. and Kwack, Y. (2021). Production of grafted vegetable seedlings in the republic of Korea: achievements, challenges and perspectives. Horticultural Science and Technology, 39(5): 547-559. CR - Aras, S. (2022). Alterations in Leaf Cellular Physiology and Chlorophyll Biosynthesis During Leaf Expansion in Peach Tree, Bozok Journal of Agriculture and Natural Sciences, 1(2): 136-140. CR - Ascough, G. D., Novák, O., Pěnčík, A., Rolčík, J., Strnad, M., Erwin, J. E. and Van Staden, J. (2009). Hormonal and cell division analyses in Watsonia lepida seedlings. Journal of plant physiology, 166(14): 1497-1507. CR - Çoban, G. A. and Aras, S. (2023). Effects of ascorbic and oxalic acids on cucumber seedling growth and quality under mildly limey soil conditions. Gesunde Pflanzen, 75(5): 1925-1932. CR - Cosgrove, D. J. (2022). Building an extensible cell wall. Plant Physiology, 189(3): 1246-1277. CR - Du, M., Spalding, E. P. and Gray, W. M. (2020). Rapid auxin-mediated cell expansion. Annual Review of Plant Biology, 71(1): 379-402. CR - Ďúranová, H., Šimora, V., Ďurišová, Ľ., Olexiková, L., Kovár, M. and Požgajová, M. (2023). Modifications in ultrastructural characteristics and redox status of plants under environmental stress: A review. Plants, 12(8): 1666. CR - Gonzalez, N., Vanhaeren, H. and Inzé, D. (2012). Leaf size control: complex coordination of cell division and expansion. Trends in Plant Science, 17(6): 332-340. CR - Kayaaslan, Z., Aras, S. and Aydoner Coban, G. (2024). Synergist effects of some PGPR bacteria and sodium nitroprusside in pepper plant. International Journal of Agriculture, Environment and Food Sciences, 8(4): 894-903. CR - Nieminen, K., Blomster, T., Helariutta, Y. and Mähönen, A. P. (2015). Vascular cambium development. The Arabidopsis Book/American Society of Plant Biologists, 13: e0177. CR - Oh, M. H., Honey, S. H. and Tax, F. E. (2020). The control of cell expansion, cell division, and vascular development by brassinosteroids: a historical perspective. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 21(5): 1743. CR - Pantin, F., Simonneau, T., Rolland, G., Dauzat, M. and Muller, B. (2011). Control of leaf expansion: a developmental switch from metabolics to hydraulics. Plant Physiology, 156(2): 803-815. CR - Read, J. and Stokes, A. (2006). Plant biomechanics in an ecological context. American Journal of Botany, 93(10): 1546-1565. CR - Roberto, S. R. and Colombo, R. C. (2020). Innovation in propagation of fruit, vegetable and ornamental plants. Horticulturae, 6(2): 23. CR - Schaller, G. E., Bishopp, A. and Kieber, J. J. (2015). The yin-yang of hormones: cytokinin and auxin interactions in plant development. The Plant Cell, 27(1): 44-63. CR - Shimotohno, A., Aki, S. S., Takahashi, N. and Umeda, M. (2021). Regulation of the plant cell cycle in response to hormones and the environment. Annual Review of Plant Biology, 72(1): 273-296. CR - Sosnowski, J., Truba, M. and Vasileva, V. (2023). The impact of auxin and cytokinin on the growth and development of selected crops. Agriculture, 13(3): 724. CR - Su, Y. H., Liu, Y. B. and Zhang, X. S. (2011). Auxin–cytokinin interaction regulates meristem development. Molecular Plant, 4(4): 616-625. CR - Wang, C., Cao, J., Hao, N. and Wu, T. (2022). Genetic and molecular regulation mechanisms in the formation and development of vegetable fruit shape. Applied Sciences, 12(3): 1514. CR - Wolf, S. (2022). Cell wall signaling in plant development and defense. Annual Review of Plant Biology, 73(1): 323-353. CR - Xu, Q., Krishnan, S., Merewitz, E., Xu, J. and Huang, B. (2016). Gibberellin-regulation and genetic variations in leaf elongation for tall fescue in association with differential gene expression controlling cell expansion. Scientific Reports, 6(1): 30258. UR - https://doi.org/10.31015/2025.3.16 L1 - https://dergipark.org.tr/en/download/article-file/4971387 ER -