The cells of the quiescent centre are characterised by : -

Question

Accepted Answer

A. 1. **Recall the concept of the quiescent centre**: Proposed by Clowes in 1961, the **quiescent centre** refers to a group of cells located within the root apical meristem that show **very slow or no cell division**, unlike the actively dividing cells around them.

2. **Recall the biochemical characteristics of these cells**: Because these cells are not actively dividing, they have a comparatively **lower concentration of DNA, RNA, and protein** than the surrounding actively dividing meristematic cells.

3. **Connect this to their appearance**: This lower biochemical activity is reflected in their appearance — they show **light (less dense) cytoplasm** and **small nuclei**, in contrast to actively dividing cells which typically show dense cytoplasm and prominent nuclei.

4. **Eliminate the other options**: Tunica and corpus are concepts related to the shoot apical meristem's zonation (not the root's quiescent centre), and the quiescent centre cells do not divide regularly — they are largely inactive.

Hence, the cells of the quiescent centre are characterised by **having light cytoplasm and small nuclei**, so the answer is **A**.