Curvature Correction Factors in the Measurement of Cell Surface Areas in Plant Tissues1

The simplest and most reliable method for the estimation of the surface area of cells in plant tissues involves the measurement of the total length of the perimeters of cell profiles in thin sections of the tissue. However, the method suffers from errors due to neglect of curvature of the cell surfaces. The effects of the curvature can be compensated for by multiplying the measured length of profile perimeter by appropriate curvature correction factors. This paper presents values for these curvature correction factors, which are shown to be significantly large. The application of these correction factors to the measurement of cell surface areas in plant tissues is discussed with particular reference to leaf mesophyll tissue. The choice of appropriate orientations of the sections in a tissue is also discussed.