During the germination of fenugreek (Trigonella foenum graecum L.) sulfhydryl groups rapidly declined in cotyledon and seedling axis, while peroxidase activity increased. Studies on purified isoenzymes showed that GSH was oxidized by the isoenzymes and was accomplished in presence of cofactors, Mn²⁺ and DCP along with H₂O₂ (0.01 mM). This reaction was found to be peroxidatic in nature. The oxidation was inhibited by catechol but was enhanced by malic acid.

Fusarium moniliforme var.subglutinansWr. etRg. causes malformations of mango inflorescences that finally fail to fruit. The host-cultivar Himsagar showed higher contents of total saccharides, chlorophyll and protein than the cultivar Bombai. Considerable loss in saccharides and chlorophyll contents and increase in protein content as a result of malformation of inflorescence was recorded in both the host-cultivars which progressed with time.

Rhynchosia capitata possesses a hard seed coat dormancy. Three types of seeds were marked out of this species on the basis of colour and mottling on the seed coat. The three different types behave differently when they were tested for germination.

On cutting off one cotyledon from decapitated pea seedlings cultivated in the dark, the apical dominance is restored, as is well-known, by the growth of the bud of the removed cotyledon. As early as 12 h following cotyledon amputation(i.e. at the time when buds of both cotyledons-remaining and removed-are not yet differentiated in size), a decrease in the level of endogenous abscisic acid can be demonstrated in the bud of the removed cotyledon.

In the cultivar ofPhaseolus vulgaris L. cv. Vainica Saavegra B a protein was found in the seeds having a more or less reduced electrophoretic mobility on the cathodic side in comparison with standard cultivars. This protein which has phytohaemagglutinating activity loses this property at a greatly decreased mobility, whereas at partially reduced mobility the phytohaemagglutinating activity is maintained. The protein with a partially decreased mobility is immunochemically identical with the protein having normal mobility, whilst the protein with strongly reduced mobility is immunochemically only partly similar.

Kinetin and auxin when applied to excised segments of wheat coleoptiles bring about changes in chloroplast structure and chlorophyll content of parenchymatous cells. Auxin (IAA) alone at a concentration of 10^-5M stimulated the elongation (growth), but the chloroplast membrane system was less developed and the chlorophyll content was lowest in comparison with control and other variants. Kinetin (KIN) exhibited various effects depending on the concentration used. 10^-6M KIN somehow stimulated the elongation and enhanced the amount of grana coming to one chloroplast section, but the individual grana were relatively small and the chlorophyll content a little higher than in the control. On the other hand 10^-5M KIN which did not promote the elongation of wheat coleoptiles, had the maximum stimulatory effect on the chloroplast membrane system, especially on the occurrence of large grana, and the chlorophyll content was highest in comparison with the other variants. The occurrence of starch grains in chloroplasts was lower than in the other variants. The effect of a joint treatment of KIN and IAA did not exceed that of KIN (10^-5M) alone. Thus the development of chloroplasts and the accumulation of chlorophyll in wheat coleoptiles are stimulated by the concentration of KIN which does not promote the elongation of coleoptiles.

Barley seeds and extirpated embryos were cultivated in³H-DNA fromBacillus subtilis. Control group of embryos was cultivated in³H-thymidine. Uptake of the label from³H-DNA was observed after both methods of application, to halves of seeds and to embryos, and the label was localized almost exclusively in some of the nuclei of meristematic cells.

Considerable changes in the activities of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase and ribulosebisphosphate carboxylase were found inNicotiana tabacum cv. Sarasun plants infected with TMV. Ribulosebisphosphate carboxylase is inhibited at the time of maximum TMV reproduction, but its decreased activity is at the same time partly compensated by phosphoenol-pyruvate carboxylase in the shoots of infected plants. The pattern of activity of this enzyme nearly exactly reflects the pattern of reproduction of the tobacco mosaic virus.

Germination ofCucumis anguria was inhibited by white, blue (B), and far-red (FR) irradiation and promoted by darkness and red (R) irradiation. The effect of white light was greater when supplied after rather than before the dark period. Darkness was more effective in reversing the effect of FR than FR in reversing the effect of darkness. FR was also more effective than B. When darkness followed B pretreatments, final germination percentage was higher than with FR pretreatment. R fully reversed the inhibitory effect of FR.

Photosynthesis was affected considerably when the cultivars Zenith, Lacrosse, Usen and Co. 13 belonging to indica and japonica groups of rice were inoculated with physiological races IC₁₃ and ID₁ ofPyricularia oryzae Cav. The 21-day seedlings after inoculation withP. oryzae and uninoculated control were exposed to¹⁴CO₂ under natural sunlight (190 Wm^-2). The extent of reduction in photosynthetic rate in the cultivars varied on inoculation with different races ofP. oryzae used, the reduction being more apparent with race ID₁.

The distribution of endogenous gibberellin-like substances in individual organs ofZea mays L., cv. CE 250, plants was investigated during the transition from the vegetative to the generative phase of development. The gradient of the content of gibberellin-like substances and photosynthetic activity in leaf segments was followed in different parts of the Jeaves, as well as the changes in the content of gibberellin-like substances in leaf segments during an exposure in the light and in the dark. The gradient of the content of endogenous gibberellin-liko substances in the leaves, in the stem and in the spike is interpreted in terms of possible relationship of these compounds to the regulation of sink - source.

The determination of electrolyte leakage from the winter rape hypocotyls subjected to desiccation over C_aCl₂ under vacuum was found to be the proper and useful method for the estimation of the direct, water stress-induced injuries in the plant tissue. The described procedure of desiccation allows a differentiation between the tissue drought tolerance and the tissue ability to avoid water stress.

Excised tomato cotyledons were aseptically cultured in mannitol induced water stress solutions, and a number of changes were determined. Stressed cotyledons had less fresh weights than normal cotyledons throughout the experiment. Stressed cotyledons initially showed reduced proteins, RNA and chlorophyll contents as compared to normal cotyledons, but eventually showed increases which often surpassed values in normal cotyledons. Endogenous auxin and cytokinin activities were initially lower in stressed cotyledons than in normal cotyledons, but were later higher in stressed cotyledons than in normal cotyledons. Gibberellin changes were slight. Applications of exogenous kinetin were able to reverse the effects of stress in reducing fresh weights, proteins, RNA and chlorophyll contents. Applications of GA₃ only partially reverse stress Effects while IAA had no effects. Stressed cotyledons also senesced more slowly than normal cotyledons. The conclusion was reached that the cotyledons were initially injured by the stress but were able to adapt to the stress and that cytokinin activities were fundamental to the responses.

The diurnal changes in leaf water potential of rice, barley and wheat corresponded to changes in air temperature. The soil moisture did not affect the diurnal changes in leaf water potential of rice and only slightly affected that of barley and wheat.

Carotenoid content of tobacco tissue grown in suspension culture was significantly affected by 2 mg . 1-¹ I-naphthaleneacctic acid (NAA) and 500 mg . 1-¹ (2-chloroethyl)-trimethyl-ammonium chloride (CCC). CCC caused a 4-fold increase of carotenoid concentration in the tissue and a 2-fold increase of carotenoid accumulation per one cultural flask mainly due to the appearance of significant amounts of lycopene. In the absence of NAA the tissue contained a much smaller amount of carotenoids and CCC failed to induce lycopene accumulation.

Potato tuber tissues can incorporate mevalonic acid-2-14C into glycoalkaloids, namely α-chaconine and α-solanine. The percent incorporation of this labeled precursor into α-chaconine in light exposed tubers is more than that of mechanically injured tubers.

Crude extracts ofPisum sativum L. roots interfere with nitrite determination only slightly, boiled root extracts considerably, Crude leaf extracts can interfere with nitrite determination in some cases even more than boiled root extracts. The precipitate of zinc phosphate helps to remove from crude leaf extracts some but not all the interfering material. Heating does not increase the interference in adult leaf extracts but it increases it in the extracts of very youngPisutn sativum leaves.

The cytokinin bioassay based on retention of chlorophyll in excised oat leaf pieces is more sensitive to the synthetic cytokinins (6-benzylaminopurine and kinetin) than to the natural cytokinins (trans-zeatin and N⁶-[Δ²isopentenyl]adenine). This difference in sensitivity decreases with increasing length of leaf pieces (from 2 to 10 cm) and with increasing volume of application (from 5 μ1 to 25 μl). Application of the cytokinin solution to the basal and apical part of the 8 cm pieces decreases the sensitivity of the bioassay but has no significant effect on the relative activities of trans-zeatin and 6-benzylaminopurine. Using 7 cm pieces and 20 μl of solution the trans-zeatin and N⁶-(Δ₂-isopentenyl)-adenine can be detected at concentrations of 10^-5 M and 5 x 10^-5 M, respectively.

Glutamine synthetase (GS) level is positively influenced by exogenously supplied sucrose in isolated pea roots (similarly as nitrate reductase - NR), glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) level negatively. Comparison with previous results shows that GS level decreases more slowly than NR level when sucrose is omitted from the medium; the rate of changes in GS level corresponds rather to that in GDH level. The increase in GDH level in the tips of isolated roots cultivated in the medium lacking sucrose stops after approx. 24 h, but continues for at least 72 h in more mature root parts. GS level decreases during the first 24 h in the tips of isolated roots (compared with roots of intact seedlings) cultivated both with sucrose and without it (without sucrose more), however it again rises in the course of further cultivation with sucrose. The differences in GS and GDH levels caused by omission of sucrose are small in isolated roots from which root tips were removed, the difference in NR level in decapitated roots is similar to that found in isolated roots with root tips left. Decapitated isolated roots cultivated without sucrose contain higher amounts of soluble sugars than corresponding roots with root tips left. These facts are dismissed with regard to sugar consumption, transport, and compartmentalisation, and with respect to production in root tips and other plant parts of unknown compounds involved in GS and GDH regulation. The results obtained suggest that GDH functions in pea roots in the deaminating direction.

The synthesis of tRNA was demonstrated in pollen ofNicotiana tabacum L. according to the incorporation of labeled uracil, adenosine and guanosine during 4 h of germination. tRNA was extracted from postribosomal supernatant and purified by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The incorporation of guanosine was about 1.68 times higher than that of adenosine. This finding indicates that the whole tRNA chain is formed in pollen tubes.

The analyses for the content of endogenous gibberollins and auxins in leaves and adjacent stem internodia of intactBryophyllum crenatum plants revealed that the level of gibberellins increases in tho direction from the apex to the stem base, whereas in the case of auxins the trend in the increase is tho reverse. This corresponds to the results of morphological experiments, according to which the apical stem part appears as affected by phytohormones of an inhibitory character, the basal part as affected by stimulatory ones.

The effect was studied of chloride ions, added in the form of different salts, on nitrate reductase (NR) level in excised pea roots, on anaerobic nitrite production in an assay medium lacking both nitrate and n-propanol, on nitrate content in the roots, and on in vivo NR activity determined in an assay medium containing 5% n-propanol. The presence of Cl in nitrate containing nutrient solutions resulted in lower NR levels, however counterions supplied together with Cl tended to modify slightly this general trend. The negative effect of Cl ions was also apparent, when Cl ions were applied before nitrate ions. Anaerobic nitrite production in the medium lacking both nitrate and n-propanol was not influenced by chloride ions. Nitrate content in the roots was reduced in the presence of chloride both at 3 mM and 15 mM NO₃ in nutrient solutions; however, at 16 mM NO₃, nitrate content in the roots exoeeded even in the presence of 15 mM Cl nitrate content in those root segments which were cultivated in a nutrient solution with 6 mM nitrate, which is the concentration at which NR reaches the level of saturation in excised pea roots. The results obtained suggest that a special induction nitrate pool exists in plant cells besides the storage and metabolic nitrate pools.