Effect of mineral nutrition on metabolic change induced in crop plant roots (iv)

Abstract

Recent developments in enzyme chemistry are establishing the significance of potassium as a cofactor for enzymes involved in the respiratory system, especially pyruvic kinase (1–3), or the organic acid metabolism, for example aconitase (4). However, the available literature on the glycolytic system of crop plant roots in relation to potassium nutrition is limited at present. Based on the previous works with bleeding sap (5,6) and excised roots (7) from taro plants, this work was undertaken to gain some information concerning the effect of potassium nutrition on glycolysis in plant roots, especially in view of inhibitory effects of monoiodoacetic acid (MIA) or sodium fluoride (NaF). Another object was to ascertain whether the excised roots used were profitable materials for investigation sin to the effect of potassium nutrition on the metabolic status of crop plant roots.