Question

The cells of the quiescent centre are characterized by:

• A. Having dense cytoplasm and promient nuclei
• B. Having light cytoplasm and small nuclei
• C. Dividing regularly to add to the corpus
• D. Dividing regularly to add to tunica

Answer 1

The correct option is B Having light cytoplasm and small nuclei

Quiescent centre is a region in the apical meristem of a root where cells do nto divide or the cell division proceeds at a very slow rate. These cells are capable of resuming meristematic activity should tissue surrounding them be damaged.
As cells of this region divide do not divide, synthesis of RNA and DNA occurs at a slower rate and hence the cytoplasm of the cells appear less dense and have a small nuclei.