Cell division and turgor-driven stem elongation in juvenile plants: A synthesis

► Growth of axial organs (e.g., hypocotyls) has been attributed to turgor-driven cell elongation. ► In sunflower seedlings, hypocotyl growth is correlated with cell enlargement and cell division activity. ► Turgor is maintained via sucrose catabolism, a finding inconsistent with the “loss of stability theory”. ► Pectin metabolism in the epidermal wall(s) is involved in wall loosening. ► An integrative model of stem elongation in the dark and in the light is presented.