Plant Growth Substances Produced by Micro-organisms of Soil and Rhizosphere

S ummary : Micro-organisms isolated from rhizospheres and rhizoplanes of wheat plants, and from root-free soil, produced growth regulating substances with the properties of gibberellins and indolyl-3-acetic acid (IAA). Substances inhibiting extensions of pea plant internodes and lettuce hypocotyls were also produced, especially by bacteria from the root region of seedlings 6 days old. Bacteria producing growth promoting substances were most abundant on roots of older plants. Seedlings grown aseptically with added gibberellic acid (GA₃) and IAA, or grown with a soil inoculum, developed similarly and differed in their morphology from those grown aseptically without additives.     

脱落调节物质对植物器官脱落的调控

器官脱落是植物生命过程中重要的生理现象.植物体内的许多激素和非激素类物质(扩展蛋白、H_2O_2、细胞壁水解酶等)都参与脱落过程的调控,而且是相互协同配合,共同发挥作用.本文综述了生长素、乙烯、脱落酸、赤霉素和茉莉酸等植物激素,以及非激素类物质扩展蛋白、H_2O_2和两种主要的细胞壁水解酶(纤维素酶和多聚半乳糖醛酸酶)在植物器官脱落过程中的调控作用,并对它们在植物器官脱落调控中的相互作用进行分析,以期为相关研究提供信息.     

Studies on Plant Growth Substances

1-Naphthoic acid derivatives substituted with chlorine, bromine, methyl or nitro groups at various positions of the ring were assayed for their activities in the pea straight-growth and the callus formation tests. Their growth activities are discussed from two points of view, i.e. the spatial structure hypothesis of Veldstra and the ortho reaction hypothesis advanced for benzoic acid derivatives proposed by Hansch and Muir. It appears that a combination of these two views are appropriate for the present authors’ results.     

Studies on Plant Growth Substances

The plant growth activities of the dihydro- and tetrahydro-1-naphthoic acids substituted with a halogen, methyl or nitro group at various positions of the aromatic ring are measured by the pea straight-growth test. The relationship between structure and activity is discussed. The results seem to conform well with the spatial structure hypothesis of Veldstra.     

Cotylenins,Leaf Growth Substances Produced by a Fungus

New biologically active substances named cotylenins A and B were isolated from the culture filtrate of a fungus, strain 501-7w. Isolation and characterization are described in detail. The chemical relationship between the cotylenins has been elucidated.     

Interactions in the Physiological Effects of Growth Substances on Plant Development

The interrelated effects of 3-indolylacetic acid and sodium2 : 4-dichlorophenoxyacetate on the growth and development ofLemna minor and Helianthus annuus have been investigated bymeans of multifactorial experiments, involving three to fivelevels of each compound. A clonal population of L. minor wasmaintained under constant conditions of light (550 foot-candles)and temperature (25 C.) and the growth regulators were addedto a phosphate-buffered culture solution (pH 51), which waschanged every 2 days. In the H. annuus experiments the compounds,in aqueous solution, were placed by means of a micro-pipetteon the leaves of young plants grown in a greenhouse or in theopen. Indolylacetic acid, at concentrations up to 25 p.p.m., increasesthe relative growth rate of L. minor on either a dry-weightor frond-area basis. Sodium dichlorophenoxyacetate at 0025p.p.m. has little effect on growth, but at and above concentrationsof 02 p.p.m. growth is depressed. The ratio of frond area tototal dry weight is increased by indolylacetic acid but is depressedby the phenoxyacetate. In the presence of indolylacetic acid,more particularly at the higher levels, the relative inhibitionof growth caused by sodium dichlorophenoxyacetate is reduced. When sunflowers are treated daily with indolylacetic acid (0,6, 30, 150 µg./ plant) or initially with sodium dichlorophenoxyacetate(0, 20, 100 µ.g./plant) in all possible combinations,then the relative growth rates of the treated leaves, the leavesabove the treated leaves, the first internode, and the rootsare depressed when each compound is applied alone. On the otherhand, the growth rate of the hypocotyl is increased by bothgrowth regulators, while for the second internode indolylaceticacid decreases the growth rate but the phenoxyacetate at thelower level accelerates it. The combined action of the two compoundson the different parts tends to be cumulative, save for thehypocotyl, where the effect of indolylacetic acid is dependenton the level of the phenoxyacetate. It is concluded that these results cannot be explained on theconcept of wholly additive effects. There is evidence that thecompounds can mutually interfere in their actions and it wouldseem that more than one mechanism is involved. Many of the resultscan be satisfactorily interpreted on the basis that the twocompounds act on a common system and that they compete withone another, but the results are not compatible with the postulatethat the dichlorophenoxyacetic acid directly inactivates indolylaceticacid.     

Studies on Plant Growth Accelerating Substances

By the aid of Chlorella grown on an agar plate a new method has been devised to detect soil microbes which produce plant growth accelerating substances. From the results of examining 3,300 soil microbes by this method, it was shown that the soil microbes could be divided into three groups according to their effect on the growth of Chlorella, that is, Chlorella growth accelerators, inhibitors and non-accelerators. By the cultivation of some green plants in the existence of some of these microbes or their culture filtrates, it was further shown that their effect on the growth of Chlorella and that of plants were in parallelism as a rule. The growth accelerating substances that are produced by soil microbes found in the present research were shown by the comparative experiment to be quite different from the substances previously known.     

不同植物生长物质对牛角藓愈伤组织诱导的影响

相同剂量的GA3和2,4-D对牛角藓愈伤组织诱导效果明显,而6-BA、KT和NAA则抑制。光照对愈伤组织的形成有一定的促进作用。     

Studies on Insect Growth Regulating Substances with Insect Cell Cultures

The sensitivity of cultured insect cells to a moulting hormone depended on their origin. Cell proliferation of cell-line C6/36, which originated from an Aedes albopictus larva, was suppressed by high concentrations of 20-hydroxyecdysone but was greatly promoted by low concentrations. Similar phenomena were observed with extracts of cedar and pine pollen. By employing the C6/36 cell-line for the screening of insect growth regulating substances, a highly active cell-growth promoting substance was found in a bovine pancreas extract. When 1 ppt of the partially purified substance was added to 2.5% fetal calf serum, the growth of cells was so greatly promoted that it was more than equal to that in the standard medium containing 10% of the serum.     

Levels of Growth Regulating Substances during Vernalization of Winter Wheat

Seeds of winter wheat (Triticum vulgare L.) cultivars Fema and Ferto, were vernalized at 3°C in the dark. Samples were taken 9, 18, 27, 36 and 45 days after the start of vernalization, and extracts were analysed for auxins, gibberellins and growth inhibiting substances. As vernalization progressed the levels of auxins and gibberellins increased whereas the levels of growth inhibitors decreased. The pattern of growth regulator changes was almost similar in both the cultivars. Vernalization seemingly controls the balance between growth promoting and growth inhibiting substances in winter wheat.     

The Growth Substances separated from Plant Extracts by Chromatography. I

Methods for the chromatographic separation on paper of indolecompounds and for the direct biological assay of the chrornatograinsusing the Avena coleoptile straight-growth method are described.Reagents for the detection of the indole-3-carboxylic acids,indole-3-acetonitrile, and gramirte as coloured spots on chromatogramsare compared and the areas of such spots are shown to be proportionalto the logarithms of the quantities of substance present. The procedure of chromatography described is shown not to involvea loss of indole-3-acetic acid activity if chromatography isdone in darkness and chrornatograms are not stored in lightand air. Methods are described for the extraction of growth aubstancesfrom plant materials, the purification and chromatography, onpaper, of the extracts and the bioassay of the chromatogramsusing Avena coleoptile sections. The ether extracts, containing acidic substances, of etiolatedbroad bean and pea shoots and roots, etiolated sunflower shoots,maize roots, and potato etiolated shoots and tuber have beenchromatographed and the chromatograms bioassayed. On all chromatogramsthree areas active in Avena coleoptile section growth are found.One area of growth promotion is shown due to indole-3-aceticacid [IAA]. Another area of growth promotion and, one of growthinhibition are due to unknown substances, which are named accelerator () and inhibitor ß (ß) respectively. On chromatograms of potato tuber a fourth growth-promoting area,in addition to those described above, is detected and is shownto be probably due to indole-3-acetonitrile [IAN]. IAN or indole-3-pyruvicacid may occpr together with IAA on chrormatograms of extractsof immature maize kernels and cauliflower head respectively. On cabbage extract chromatograms the growth-promoting activitycorresponding in position with IAA is shown to be due to IAAand to IAA alone. In etiolated broad bean shoots IAA is the predominating growthsubstance in the stem and ß predominates in the firstlateral bud. The latter is suggested as an explanation of apicaldominance, and the predominance of ß in potato tuberskin is suggested as an explanation of dormancy in tubers. In the broad bean root the acidic growth-substance patterns,for the whole root and for the sections 0–2 cm. and 2–4cm. from the tip, are the same. The acidic growth substances extractable from broad bean shootsare the same whether the plant material is boiled or frozenbefore extraction.     

The Growth Substances separated from Plant Extracts by Chromatography. I

For 0·per cent. sodium nitrite read 0·5 per cent. potassium ferricyanide     

Studies on the Chlorosis-inducing Substances Produced by a Fungus

Viridominic acids A, C₃₃H₄₈O₉, B, C₃₃H₄₈O₁₀, C, C₃₃H₅₀O₉ and cephalosporin P₁ were isolated as chlorosis-inducing substances against higher plants. The isolation, physicochemical properties and biological activities of these compounds are described in detail.     

Bacterial Alginate Produced by a Mutant of Azotobacter vinelandii

The optimum conditions in shaken flasks for production of bacterial alginate by mutant C-14 of Azotobacter vinelandii NCIB 9068 and a comparison of the properties of bacterial and algal alginates were investigated. The largest amount of bacterial alginate was obtained in about 110 h by a culture grown on optimum medium at 34°C and 170-rpm shaking speed. The viscosity of the culture broth was 18,400 cps and the alginate concentration reached 6.22 g/liter. The viscosity of the purified bacterial alginate was as high as 11,200 cps at a low concentration (0.6%). A greater than fivefold concentration of algal alginate was required to reach the same viscosity at a low shear rate. A solution of bacterial alginate was more pseudoplastic than that of algal alginate was. No significant differences were observed in other properties of bacterial and algal alginates such as gel formation with calcium ion, thermostability, and effect of temperature, pH, and sodium chloride on viscosity.     

Isolation of New Chlorosis-inducing Substances Produced by Fungus

Five analogs of the insecticidal lignan of the Phryma were synthesized by modifying its 3,4-methylenedioxyphenyl group with a phenyl, 4-methoxyphenyl, 3-methoxyphenyl, 3,4-dimethoxyphenyl, or 4-chlorophenyl group to evaluate the contribution of the methylenedioxy function to the activity. The assay results revealed that the 4-oxymethylene part of the 3,4-methylenedioxyphenyl group collaborated more for strengthening the insecticidal activity than the 3-oxymethylene part did. Unexpectedly, the 3,4-dimethoxyphenyl analog was totally inactive, even at a high dose level.