Composition of the cell walls of different asparagus (Asparagus officinalis) tissues

Portions of stems from the base of asparagus spears (Asparagus officinalis L. cv. Connovor Collossus) were dissected to give the following tissues: (1) pith, which was free of vascular bundles, (2) two surrounding layers, parenchyma and fibre I and II (PFI and PFII), containing parenchyma and vascular bundles, (3) sclerenchyma sheath, (4) epidermis and sub‐epidermal layers and (5) asparagus vascular fibre (AVF). The alcohol‐insoluble residues (AIRs) from these tissues were shown to be free of starch. They were analysed for moisture and protein, and the component sugars were released by two hydrolytic procedures, which helped to distinguish the sugars from non‐cellulosic polysaccharides and cellulose. The AIRs from pith and epidermal tissues were relatively low in xylose, but were rich in cellulosic glucose, and sugars associated with pectic polysaccharides such as galacturonic acid, galactose and arabinose. Their major component polysaccharides (in decreasing amounts) were inferred to be pectic polysaccharides, cellulose, and hemicelluloses. AIR from sclerenchyma was rich in glucose and xylose, suggesting the presence of much cellulose and (acidic) xylans. The AIRs of PFI, PFII and AVF contained significant amounts of xylose in addition tn other sugars, and the major polysaccharides inferred to be present were pectic polysaccharides, cellulose and hemicelluloses, a significant proportion of which may be acidic xylans. Methylation analysis of the AIRs confirmed the above inferences. The bulk of the glucosyl residues were (1–4)‐linked, and there were small but significant amounts of (1–4, 6)‐linked glucosyl residues (the linkage characteristic of xyloglucans) in all the preparations. The presence of (1–4)‐linked galactosyl, (1–5)‐linked arabinosyl, terminal galactosyl, terminal arabinosyl, (1–2)‐ and (1–2, 4)‐linked rhamnosyl residues in all the AIRs except that from sclerenchyma, confirmed the presence of significant levels of pectic polysaccharides in all the parenchyma tissues. All the preparations containing vascular tissues contained significant amounts of (1–4)‐linked xylosyl residues, probably derived from acidic xylans. Even in the AIR of pith, a significant amount of (1–4)‐linked xylosyl residues were detected. This may be due to the ability of these cells and the parenchyma cells associated with the vascular bundles, to undergo lignification in mature asparagus plants.