Barbiturate-induced Disorientation of Root and Shoot Geotropism in Germinating Cruciferous Seedlings

Cruciferous seedlings germinated on glass-distilled water andon barbital manifested normal root and shoot geotropisms whereastwisted roots and shoots were evident in seedlings germinatedon amobarbital and secobarbital, the roots often being completelysuspended in the air. The marked difference in germination anddevelopment behaviour of cress and white mustard seedlings germinatedon barbital compared with that on amobarbital and secobarbitalindicate that the Meyer-Overton principle of drug potency andlipid solubility was operative in both species of germinatingseedlings. Lepidium sativum L., Sinapsis alba L., seed germination, geotropism, barbiturates