Evidence for the Widespread Occurrence of Induced Respiration in Slices of Plant Tissues

Abstract

Thin slices of a wide range of plant tissues developed increased rates of respiration when incubated in aerated distilled water at 26°0 for 24 hr. The increased respiration of slices of the flesh of pumpkin (Oucurbita pepo L.) fruit and celery (Apium graveolens L.) petiole was shown to resemble the induced respimtion of slices of underground storage organs. The increase in respiration rate was largely prevented in pumpkin and celery slices when they were incubated at 2°0, or in the absence of oxygen, or in chloramphenicol, or in 5-fluorouracil. In the same tissues the increased respiration was shown to be accompanied by marked increases in the rates of uptake and oxidation of exogenous glucose and by a lowering of the initial 0 6/01 ratios.