Intensity of transpiration, intensity of water absorption, water saturation deficit (w.s.d.) in different parts of samples and rate of water transport was investigated in samples from leaf tissue of fodder cabbage and banana-tree.
In all experiments (at initial w.s.d. 0% and 20%, in samples from upper, middle and lower leaves of fodder cabbage and from leaves of banana-tree) a distinct gradient of w.s.d. in the direction of transport of water was determined, therefore the limiting factor in the water balance was rate of water transport and not rate of water absorption.
The lowest amount of water was always transported within transpiring part of sample. When the initial w.s.d. was 0% not only the water transported by tissue from the environment, but also the water of the leaf tissue itself took part in water lost by transpiration and therefore water stress originated in the whole sample. At an initial w.s.d. of 20%, the rate of water absorption was higher than the rate of water transport and therefore the increase of w.s.d. in the transpiring part of the sample was accompanied by a simultaneous decrease of w.s.d. in the transporting part.
An increase in the value of w.s.d. in leaf tissue proportionally increased the resistance of water transport in the liquid phase (on the average from 1.7 . 10³ to 6.7 . 10³ atm min cm² g^-1) and also in the gaseous phase (on the average from 2.7 . 10^-2 to 14.0 . 10^-2 min cm^-1).
It was proved that insufficient rate of water transport can be responsible for the origin of water stress. At the same time the rate of water transport was influenced by the value of the w.s.d. since every change of w.s.d. in leaf tissue not only the gradient of water potential changed but also the resistance to water transport.

A new porometer operable in field conditions was used to study air passage capacity of maize(Zea mays) leaves in relation to light intensity, temperature and ferilization. In addition to light intensity, temperature was found to affect stomatal movement in a significant manner.

The effect of Ca-deficiency on changes in the protein content of cotyledons and roots of germinating pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo L.) plants was studied by means of immunoelectrophoresis. Antiserum against seed proteins gave 11 clear precipitation zones in homological reactions and 7 zones with proteins from cotyledons of 10 day-old plants. Several less mobile zones in the area of start appeared in variant "-Ca". Using antiserum against root proteins of 10 day-old control plants, 8 precipitation zones in the homological reaction and 6 zones (two cathodic zones are missing) in the heterological reaction were obtained. The patterns of proteins from the root and those arising from the protein of seed are both changed under Ca-deficiency.

We traced the liberation and biological effect of volatile substances released from the roots of cereals,i. e. barley, wheat, rye and oats, on seedlings of the same and other plant species. Experiments were carried out in a closed glass apparatus with a static or circulating atmosphere in which the CO₂ and O₂ were permanently absorbed and supplemented, respectively. In some experiments the air was bubbled through water or through solutions of boric acid, barium hydroxide and potassium permanganate.
The roots of all four cereals tested released volatile substances with a biological activity which appeared to be non-specific with respect to plant species. The effect of volatile substances was partially decreased by bubbling through water, barium hydroxide and boric acid and was completely removed after passing through the solution of potassium permanganate.
Volatile substances liberated from roots of barley inhibited elongation of roots and coleoptile, decreased SH-group content and caused excessive formation of root hairs as well as inhibition of both dry matter production and respiration of roots of rye seedlings.
Ethylene was found in the atmosphere of experimental vessels.

The method of cultivation of algae on the surface of solid, medium under regulated conditions was used for studying the influence of light on the autospore number with three strains of chlorococcal algae:Scenedesmus quadricauda, Scenedesmus obliquus andChlorella kessleri. The results of these experiments show that not only light but the type of medium as well, exert a very important influence upon both nuclear and cell division and the whole course of the life cycle of algal cells. The number of autospores produced by single cells can be ascertained reliably on the surface of the solid medium. Owing to this fact the relations in cellular populations can be expressed with greater precision in comparison with the evaluation of cultures in liquid media.

On incubation of the callus tissue ofDaucus carota L. in solutions of glucose-6-¹⁴C and -1-¹⁴C the distribution of radioactivity in the molecule of endogenous glucose will change and the ratio of activities of liberated¹⁴CO₂ (C₆/C₁) will rise The limits of possible changes of specific activity of¹⁴CO₂ and of the C₆/C₁ ratio were calculated with respect to the observed randomization and it was shown that the mutual exchange of carbon atoms in the molecules is not the decisive cause of the rise of the ratio.
The specific radioactivity of¹⁴C in CO₂ is as much as 12 times higher than that of endogenous glucose and fructose and about twice as high as the theoretical maximum. This might indicate that in addition to the cytoplasmic fraction of glucose the callus cells contain a fraction of low metabolic activity, most likely in the vacuoles, that could account for some of the increase of the C₆/C₁ value.
The main reason for the changes in the C₆/C₁ ratio is envisaged in the establishment of isotopic equilibrium between the pentose cycle and glycolysis and other metabolic systems, in particular via triose phosphates, the radioactivity of which can greatly affect the C₆/C₁ ratio, as was shown in a model experiment.

The applicability of the microrelief (or reprint) method for stomatal aperture determinations was studied in middle-aged sugar beet leaves. It was found that the picture of the central aperture (CA) of stomata on the reprints could be observed only if their eisoiial aperture (EA) was sufficiently wide. If the width of EA was small (about 1-3 μ), it was impossible to determine the width of CA by means of the reprint method, in view of the proportional dimensions of the upper closing flaps. A lower concentration of the chlorophorm solution of methylmethacrylate used for taking reprints had a favourable influence on the amount of stomata whose width of central aperture was reproduced on the reprints. Simultaneous measurements of the EA-width and of the diffusibility of leaves (determined porometrically) in the course of a day showed, on the whole, fairly corresponding changes. During the wilting of detached leaves their diffusibility fell to zero, where it remained. The width of EA also decreased at first, but at higher water deficits it partly again increased.

A study of the effect of exogenous sugars (fructose, glucose, arabinose and xylose) on Qo₂ inChioreila pyrenoidosa (A 82) and inScenedesmus obliquus (A 125) showed that the effect of sugars on respiration depends on previous cultivation of the alga. In autotrophically cultivated algae all sugars contribute to the increase of Qo₂, in those cultivated rnixotrophically (with the addition of glucose or together with yeast extract, and with xylose) this occurs only in Scenedesmus when glucose or xylose are applied. The effect of cultivation was apparent in that mixotrophically cultivated algae had larger endogenous reserves of substrates than the autotrophic ones. The exogenous substrate is not preferentially respired and does not affect respiration solely as its substrate. In Chlorella, the effect of different cultivation conditions is more pronounced, the QO₂ being usually higher than inScenedesmes.

Im Wasserextrakt der zerriebenen BlattläuseBrachycaudus napelli Schrk. befinden sich phytotoxische Stoffe, die durch einen biologischen Tomatensprosstest untersucht werden können.
Bei Erwärmung der Aphidenextrakte von 125°C sowie bei zweistündiger Erwärmung der getrockneten Rückstände bei 105°C blieb die Phytotoxizität von denselben unverändert erhalten.
Die phytotoxischen Stoffe sind aus dem Aphidenhomogenat sehr gut mit Wasser, gut mit Äthanol und Azeton, dagegen gar nicht mit Diäthyläther, Benzol und Chloroform bei Zimmer-temperatur extrahierbar.
Durch Dialyse wurde aus dem Blattlausextrakt eine kleinmolekulare Fraktion abgetrennt, welche an Testtomaten Blattnekrosen hervorrief. Die andere, im Dialysierschlauch zurückgehaltene höhermolekulare Fraktion, rief bei den Testpflanzen Welkeerscheinungen hervor, die mehr auf eine mechanische Verstopfung der Leitgefässe der behandelten Pflanzen hindeuteten.
Entwickeltes Extraktionsverfahren: thermolabile Stoffe wurden durch Erhitzen, lipoide Stoffe durch Ätherextraktion und höhermolekulare Stoffe durch eine Dialysemembran von den Aphidenhomogenaten entfernt und phytotoxische Stoffe in grob gereinigter Form mittels Wasser- und Azetonextraktion gewonnen.

The content of the carbohydrates glucose, fructose and sucrose was determined in spring barley anthers at different stages of maturity. During maturation the sucrose content of the anthers increased markedly. The following 17 free amino acids were detected in anthers of different stages of maturity: aspartic acid, glutamic acid, serine, alanine, arginine, leucine, isoleucine, lysine, α-aminobutyric acid, glutamine, proline, tyrosine, phenylalanine, valine, threonine, cystine and glycine. Quantitative analysis was only carried out in amino acids present in higher concentrations in the analysed samples. These were: aspartic acid, glutamic acid, α-aminobutyric acid, proline, serine, valine and glutamine, and a mixture of amino acids (leucine, isoleucine, valine and phenylalanine). The total content of free amino acids increased with increasing maturity of the anthers. However, not all amino acids followed contributed to this increase, but only proline, glutamic acid, aspartic acid and glutamine. A small difference was found in the variety Gopal in which the aspartic acid content did not increase significantly, but the content of the mixture of amino acids and serine did. With the exception of green anthers of the variety Firlbecks Union, proline was present in the highest concentration in all samples analysed.

The effect of temperature on the number of lesions and the time of their appearance was studied by inoculating French bean leaves (Phaseolus vulgaris L. cv. Perlička) with lucerne mosaic virus either 24 or 48 h before or, 24 or 48 h after they were exposed to various temperatures. The temperatures tested were 23, 25, 27, 30, 33 and 36° C.
Before and after such exposures the plants were kept in a constant temperature of 25° C. By increasing the temperature before inoculation the number of lesions increased in comparison with the control. The optimal temperature for the maximum number of lesions is between 27° and 30° C. There is no significant difference between those experiments when the exposure time was 24 h or 48 h before inoculation. The same temperatures applied for 24 or 48 h after inoculation have a decreasing effect upon the number of lesions formed by LMV on French bean leaves. The decrease is 30 to 75%. In this case the first necrotic local lesions appeared 42 h after inoculation when exposed to higher temperatures above 27° C for 24 h, and 60 h after inoculation when exposed to these temperatures for 48 h. The shape of lesions varied a little in both cases as the pictures show.

In Wurzelhomogenaten aus Keimlingen der Modellpflanze Sinapis alba L., die durch Pyridinderivate in der Konzentration 5×10^-4 M beeinflusst worden waren, wurden Aktivitätsänderungen der Glucose-6-phosphat-Dehydrogenase gefunden: Phenäthylpyridine (IA, B, C) und trans-Styrylpyridine (IIA, B, C) steigern die Enzymaktivitätin vivo, in vitro führen sie jedoch zu einer deutlichen Hemmung. Der dritte Strukturtyp, Pyridylphenazetylene (IIIA, B, C), istin vivo zwar unwirksam, doch in denin vitro Versuchen war er noch wirksamer als die beiden vorher genannten Typen. Es ist wahrscheinlich, dass die Ursache der Enzymaktivitätssteigerung in der Steigerung der NADP-Biosynthese liegt. Die Erhöhung dieses Koenzyms kann den Kohlenhydrateabbau zu Gunsten des oxydativen Mechanismus, des Pentosecyclus, zur Folge haben.

Labelled carbon dioxide was supplied for 22 hrs to a leaf of the leader or to the lateral shoot in two-year-old apple seedlings. The distribution of radioactive assimilates within the plant following this treatment was investigated by using radioautography.
The transport of labelled assimilates from the young leaf of the leader was very meagre and affected only parts of the stem and the leaves situated in the close vicinity of the treated leaf.
The¹⁴C-labelled assimilates from the mature leaf of the leader were transported in a considerable amount to the apex and to the other leaves of the leader. They were also found in an appreciable amount in the stem and the roots, as well as in some lateral shoots.
After supplying¹⁴CO₂ to the lateral shoot remarkable transport of labelled assimilates was observed. Radioactivity was detected in the tip and in the youngest leaves of the leader, as well as in the roots. Their path in the stem was studied by dissecting the plant and examining the cross section from each internode. This method revealed that the assimilates from the treated leaf or shoot were transported downward only on one side of the stem in a helical pattern. The lateral shoots situated on the radioactive side of the stem were also labelled, whereas those situated on the opposite (non-radioactive) side were not labelled.

The callus tissue derived from tobacco pith and subcultured for 5^1/2 years on a solid synthetic modium revealed considerable differences in cell division activity depending on the age of the subculture and diurnal rhythm. The callus cells exhibited different level of ploidy among which an aneuploid condition nearer to diploid (2n=30-50) predominated. Chromosomal bridges and other structural rearrangements (lagging chromosomes, fragments) were observed in ana-and telophase.

The Euonymus Mosaic Virus was isolated fromEuonymus europaea. The virus was transmitted by sap to cucumber and other test plants, by seeds orAphis euonymi F., and it was soilborne, too. The sap from cucumbers lost its infectivity after 10 minutes at 80°C and after 35 days at 20-22°C. It is probably a new virus so far not described. The investigations of this problem are not finished, yet.

Morphactin-butylester (a flourene-9-carboxylic acid derivative) inhibited seed germination of two strains of lettuce. Morphactin induced inhibition of germination could be partially or wholly reversed by simultaneous addition of gibberellic acid. However, gibberellic acid played very little part in reversing the inhibitory effect of morphactin on seedling growth. It is concluded that gibberellin can not reverse all the growth effects induced by morphactin.

L'aire d'écoulement du latex a été déterminée sur le tronc de l'Hevea brasiliensis à l'aide de Rb⁸⁶ inoculé avant la saignée à diverses distances de l'encoche. Une telle détermination peut être effectuée par une extrapolation non linéaire des courbes de drainage ou par une formule mathématique. Dans ce dernier cas, il suffit de connaître la quantité totale de latex écoulée depuis le début jusqu'au moment de l'apparition du latex radioactif provenant d'un point d'inoculation.
Les courbes d'écoulement du latex radioactif ayant plusieures maxima, correspondant aux divers points d'inoculation de Rb⁸⁶, peuvent être utilisées pour calculer les quantités relatives de latex écoulées de ces points. Dans ce but, on doit déterminer la radioactivité du latex aux points d'inoculation du Rb⁸⁶ dans l'écorce avant la saignée et réconstruir le parcour des courbes d'écoulement du latex radioactif pour les inoculations individuelles. Les quantités de latex déterminées de cette façon, provenant de diverses distances de l'encoche, se trouvent en bon accord avec les contractions de l'écorce aux mêmes endroits.
On a déterminé à l'aide de Rb⁸⁶ la forme de la partie principale de l'aire d'écoulement et on a comparé sa longeur à celle de l'aire de déplacement, délimitée par la contraction de l'écorce et par le déficit en latex dans l'écorce. La longeur de l'aire de déplacement a été trouvée deux fois et demie plus grande que celle de l'aire d'écoulement. La quantité totale de latex écoulé correspond à 80 % de la quantité mis en mouvement dans l'écorce lors de la saignée.

The present work is a study of the frequency of polyvalents in autotetraploid kohlrabi, cabbage and their intervarietal hybrids. Polyvalents were stated in the final phases of heterotypic prophasis, usually in diakinesis.
In none of both varieties any significant relationship between frequency of polyvalents and fertility expressed by mean number of seeds per siliqua was found, while in intervarietal hybrids some correlation was observed between mentioned characters. This leads to the conclusion that the frequency of polyvalents is not always a measure of the degree of fertility in auto-polyploids.
Autotetraploid intervarietal hybrids were characterized by marked prelevance of bivalents, by a considerable percentage of well-developed pollen grains and by high correlation between frequency of polyvalents and fertility. These characters are typical rather for amphidiploids.

The chlorophyll mutation rate on a large number of plants after the dose rates 0.004-16.800 R/day during the whole vegetation cycle was examined. The mutation frequency increases as early as after the dose rate 4 mR/day. The dose rate of approximately 8 mR/day is necessary to double the mutation frequency.

Dispersing of splits of NaCl and KCl during the drying process has been found using labelled²⁴Na and⁴²K preparations. This bursting effect can cause some misinterpretations in biological experiments with plant material.

Using paper chromatography and conventional methods of isolation, natural growth inhibitors were isolated from green leaves of different plants (Brassica oleracea, Zea mays, Pisum sativum andSalix rubra). All isolated inhibitors were found to be phenolic compounds and the chemical structure of most of them was determined; only the final structure of theBrassica inhibitor has not yet been ascertained. 500 mg of natural inhibitor ofPisum sativum was isolated from 1500 g of leaves and was identified as quercetin-glucosil-p-coumarate (QGC), described earlier byFuruya, Galston andStowe (1961). The structure of the natural inhibitor ofZea mays (4 mg from 100 g of leaves) was identical with p-coumaric acid and the chemical nature of the plant growth inhibitor fromSalix rubra (700 mg from 1,5 kg of leaves and young bark) was that of 2-chalconaringenin-glucoside or isosalipurposide, described earlier byCharaux andRabaté (1931) andHarborne (1966). All isolated substances had inhibiting properties in the straight growth test of wheat coleoptile sections and decreased the growth of isolated stem sections prepared from plants-donors of inhibitors. Thus, maximum growth inhibition (LG max) was attained, if wheat coleoptile sections were incubated with:Brassica inhibitor in the concentration of 0.5 mg/ml, withPisum inhibitor (QGC) in the concentration of 16 mg/ml, withZea inhibitor (p-coumaric acid)-0.35 mg/ml and with Salix inhibitor (isosalipurposide) in the concentration of 0.5 mg/ml. In small concentrations no mentioned substances were able to enhance the growth as actively as indolic auxins (on 250-300%); only slight growth activation in biotests was sometimes observed for low concentrations. Inhibition in p-coumaric acid was much more active in a free form than in the bound form as an acyl-rest of QGC. As a rule, the wheat coleoptile test was much more sensitive (3-5 times) to the plant growth inhibitors, than tests prepared from tissue and organs of plants-donors. The retardation activity of plant growth inhibitors is not correlated with their molecular weight. Dormin (or±abscissin II) was also tested on wheat coleoptile sections. In neither of the applied concentrations (10-0.05 μg/l range) was dormin able to depress straight growth of wheat coleoptile sections, but even in a 1.7 μg/l concentration it inhibited the IAA-activated growth of sections. However, additional experiments showed that dormin in higher concentrations (40 μg/l and more was able even to depress endogenous straight growth of wheat coleoptise sections. The differences between the properties of natural phenolic growth inhibitors and dormin were discussed.

The effect of 2-thiouracil on vegetative growth and floral differentiation was investigated inChenopodium rubrum plants grown in water cultures. Between the low concentrations of the agent, stimulating vegetative growth and floral differentiation, and those inhibiting both these processes, a narrow concentration range was found (1.10^-5 m to 2.10^-5 m), where growth was inhibited selectively. At a concentration of 1.10^-4 m a selective inhibition of development was found when 2-thiouracil was applied at the beginning of photoperiodic induction. Inhibition of development was strong regardless of whether 2-thiouracil was applied before, during or closely after 4 days of photoperiodic induction; the degree of growth inhibition, however, changed in dependence on photoperiodic induction. The strongest relative inhibition of development, calculated as a ratio between development and growth, was observed always at the beginning of photoperiodic induction.
Investigation of plant growth as well as the anatomical and autoradiographic study after the application of 2-thiouracil indicate that the inhibition becomes evident at the end of 4 days of application by an overall growth inhibition and a decrease of mitotic activity. Reversal by uracil was possible after simultaneous application of 2-thiouracil. The nature of the selective inhibition is discussed and two possible interpretations of the data obtained are analyzed: a) different response of growth processes in apices and young vegetative organs respectively with regard to different participation of cell division and elongation, b) specific inhibition of floral differentiation.

Using moving boundary electrophoresis in a veronal buffer, pH 8.5, of 0.05 ionic strength and at 4.3 mA, we succeeded in separating the inhibitor, which was obtained by fractionation on a Sephadex G-50 column, into four components. The two most substantial components represent 25% and 65% respectively from the separated proteins as a whole. The heterogeneity of the inhibitor was proved by analytical ultracentrifugation, too. The ionex chromatography was applied for the quantitative separation of the inhibitor. We used ionex chromatography on DEAE Cellulose the concentration gradient being 0-1m NaCl in a 0.01m phosphate buffer, pH 7.3, and on DEAE Sephadex A-50 using the same concentration gradient in a phosphate buffer, of 0.1 ionic strength and pH 7.3. In both cases four components were obtained. The most substantial component, representing 65% of the whole analysed material, was eluted at the concentration 0.15-0.3m NaCl, and was electrophoretically homogenous and showed the most effective inhibitory ability.

The lignine content and mechanical rigidity of siliquae ofBrassica napus L. ssp.oleifera f.biennis, cv. Třebíčská were studied. Experimental plants were harvested in five consecutive periods and developmental stages of siliquae were determined on the basis of the weight of 1000 seeds. During the development of siliquae a gradual accumulation of lignine takes place; the content reached its maximum in certain developmental phases and then decreased. The mechanical rigidity of siliquae had a similar tendency. There were statistically significant differences in both properties studied within individual developmental phases. A highly significant positive correlation was found between lignine content and mechanical consistency.

The induced meiotic abnormalities as a result of sprayingVicia faba plants with aqueous saturated solutions of podophyllin and 8-hydroxyquinoline were studied. The 2 drugs induced the same types of abnormalities including lagging chromosomes, stickiness, and bridges. The main difference between the 2 agents was the induction of polyploid P.M.Cs. by 8-hydroxyquinoline.

Development of the shoot apex up to floral differentiation was investigated in the short-day plantChenopodium rubrum. The changes occurring in the apex from energence until full opening of the cotyledons (Figs 1-4), development during photoperiodic induction (Figs. 5-8), as well as the resulting floral differentiation (Figs. 9-10) are described. It was aimed at excluding the influence of plastochron changes on the interpretation of ontogeny of the shoot apex. For that reason two planes of longitudinal sections and two plastochron stages were compared.
In young plants zonation does not become fully evident prior to floral differentiation. The anatomical structure of the shoot apex does not change substantially during the first two inductive cycles which proved to be obligatory under the given experimental conditions. The changes occurring during two further inductive cycles correspond to the total activation of the meristems as manifested by the growth and branching of the apex preceeding floral differentiation proper.

The presence of potassium humate (commercial sample of Humussäure Riedel-de Haën A. G., Seelze-Hannover) in distilled water led to an increase in the content of alanine, aspartic and glutamic acid in the overground parts of wheat plants as compared with the content of these substances in control plants grown in distilled water. In plants cultivated on nutrient solutions a higher level of alanine and glutamic acid and a considerably lower level of amides was found than in plants grown in distilled water and in water with humate. Generally the content of amino acids was higher in the overground parts than in the roots after a cultivation period of one week as well as of 14 day. In the overground parts of 1 days old plants the level of aspartic acid, asparagine and alanine was found to be higher and that of glutamine lower than in seven days old plants. In the roots of the examined plants a decrease of the amino acid content accurred almost in all cases after a cultivation period of 14 days as compared to one of 7 days.