Endogenous auxins in apical buds ofChenopodium rubrum L. after application of (2-chloroethyl) trimethylammonium chloride (CCC)

Abstract

Apical buds ofChenopodium rubrum from plants treated with CCC contain more endogenous auxins than buds from control plants, the level of these compounds increasing with the application of rising concentrations of the retardant. An especially marked increase was observed in the level of substance “X” which on chromatographic separation runs in the zone of tryptamine or its derivative. Since it has been shown in previous experiments that the inhibitory effect of CCC on flowering ofChenopodium rubrum may be reversed by indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) it is believed that the increase in auxins after application of CCC does not concern biologically active substances immediately available to the plant. It seems more likely that inactive precursors are involved which cannot be converted to the active substance in the presence of CCC, possibly due to blocking of the pertinent enzyme. If we assume that the wheat coleoptile used in the auxin bioassay in our experiments contains the pertinent enzyme it might convert the inactive precursors to active substances and, therefore, exhibit a growth stimulation even though the substances concerned would not necessarily be active in the buds from which they were extracted.