Abstract:
Humans have selected crops with high starch productivity, created new cultivars, and developed high
yielding and quality cultivations in the history of agriculture. Starch productivity and accumulation
features o f storage starch differ among crop species and its cultivars. This paper describes
morphological and anatomical analyses of accumulation structure of storage substances in organs , using
a scanning electron microscope. In order to observe storage substances in tissues and cells of plant body
by scanning electron microscope with high resolution, complete dehydration of specimen is necessary
after fixing. This paper also introduces ‘rapid freezing-high vacuum freeze drying method' to prevent
artifacts. Starch accumulation density is higher in corn (maize) endosperm and rice endosperm, which
is considered to contribute to high starch productivity. Potato tuber, sago palm stem and wheat
endosperm have been also utilized by their specific ingredients and shapes or forms in their
accumulation structure. In the future, demand for starch in Japan and the world will further be expanded.
In future not only "quantity" of starch, but also "quality" and "palatability" of starch will be considered.
