ON CHLOROPHYLL TURNOVER IN MONOCOTYLEDONS AND DICOTYLEDONS

Abstract

Sodium acetate-1-C14 or (in one case) succinic-2,3-C14 acid was fed to both immature and mature leaves of four monocotyledons (lily, oats, philodendron, and tradescantia), three dicotyledons (red clover, petunia, geranium), a gymnosperm (spruce), and a pteridophyte (Boston fern). These experiments have indicated that chlorophyll synthesis and thus chlorophyll turnover in the mature leaves of the monocotyledons is very slow or non-existent. On the other hand, considerable amounts of C14 were incorporated into the dihydroporphyrins isolated from the mature leaves of the dicotyledons, the gymnosperm, and the pteridophyte.