The physiological significance of phenylacetic Acid in abscising cotton cotyledons.
The physiological role of phenylacetic acid (PAA) as an endogenous regulator of cotyledon abscission was examined using cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L. cv LG 102) seedlings. Application of 100 micromolar or more PAA to leafless cotyledon abscission-zone explants resulted in the retardation of petiole abscission and a decrease in the rise of ethylene evolution that normally accompanies aging of these explants in vitro. The partial inhibition of ethylene evolution in these explants by PAA was indirect since application of this compound stimulated short-term (<24 hours) ethylene production. PAA treatment partially suppressed the stimulation of petiole abscission elicited by either ethylene or abscisic acid. Both free and an acid-labile, bound form of PAA were identified in extracts prepared from cotyledons. No discernible pattern of changes in free or bound PAA was found during the course of ethylene-induced cotyledon abscission. Unlike indole-3-acetic acid, transport of PAA in isolated petiole segments was limited and exhibited little polarity. On the whole, these results are not consistent with the direct participation of PAA in the endogenous regulation of cotyledon abscission.
Auxin activity of phenylacetic acid in tissue culture
The ability of phenylacetic acid (PAA), a naturally occurring auxin, to initiate and support growth of callus and suspension cultures of several species is reported. Callus tissue of tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L. var. WI-38), initiated and maintained on a medium with 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D), was transferred to and maintained on media supplemented with 25–500 μM PAA as the only plant growth regulator (PGR). Optimal concentrations of PAA were determined for tobacco callus proliferation in the dark (250 μM PAA) and with a 16-h light/8-h dark photoperiod (500 μM PAA). Tobacco suspension cultures were maintained for over 28 transfers in media containing 20–40 μM PAA as the sole PGR. When tobacco callus tissue maintained on PAA-supplemented media for over 18 months was transferred to liquid media containing kinetin, plantlets were regenerated. Callus of sunflower (Helianthus annuus L. var. Russian Mammoth) proliferated on media containing PAA at 5–250 μM as the sole PGR. Similar PAA concentrations inhibited normal development and promoted callus formation in tobacco and pea (Pisum sativum L. vars. common, Frogel, and Frimas) epicotyl tissue. PAA as the sole PGR did not support the growth of soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merrill var. Fiskeby) callus or suspension cultures. Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L. var. UC-5) and lentil (Lens culinaris Medic. var. Laird) callus cultures proliferated on media containing 25–500 μM PAA, but habituation of the cultures was common. PAA was not toxic to tobacco, chickpea, and lentil tissues at levels as high as 500 μM.
Silica in Soils1
Publisher Summary Silica in free and combined forms is a dominant component of the solid material of many soils, and dissolved silica is commonly a major solute of soil solutions. Breakdown of primary silicates, translocation of silica in solution, and deposition of secondary silica-containing substances are involved in the development of soils. Ions essential for the growth of plants are released to the soil solution as silicates weather, and these ions may be held against leaching at exchange sites on other silicates. Silica is absorbed in appreciable quantities by some plants and is returned to the surface of the soil as the plants decay. The nature and transformations of silica and silicates in soil are, thus, fundamental to an understanding of many aspects of soil and plant sciences.