| Abstract: | Evidence is presented that stomata in isolated epidermal peelsof Vicia faba L. open in darkness in response to the externalpresence of indole acetic acid (IAA) in the incubation medium.The effect of IAA is found to be overcome completely in thepresence of either TRIS or MES buffers. In the absence of buffer,V. faba stomata are shown to be influenced by IAA in a concentration-dependenttrend which reached a maximum at an IAA] of 10–3 molm–3. Further investigations reveal that stomata in thisspecies can be shown to respond to the presence of IAA and anotherphytohormone, abscisic acid (ABA). IAA and ABA are demonstratedto be antagonistic in their effects provided the incubationconditions are suitable. The data are discussed in relationto stomatal responses of other species in different treatmentconditions. Recommendations are made with respect to standardizationof incubation media during epidermal peel experiments. Key words: Vicia faba, stomata, indole acetic acid, abscisic acid, buffers |
