Effects of Defoliation, Deradication, and Darkening the Blade upon Translocation of C14 in Sugarcane

The translocation of sugar has been studied for many years and in many plants, and these studies have increased since C14 has become readily available. Most of the excellent review articles in recent years conclude that the exact mechanism of translocation is still unknown. New evidence favoring a flow theory has been presented by Thaine (27, 28) who considers transcellular protoplasmic streaming to be the major cause of translocation in vascular plants. Thaine's theory has been elaborated by Canny (7) to explain many of the generally accepted facts regarding translocation. Translocation of C14 in normal plants of sugarcane has been under investigation at the Experiment Station of the Hawaiian Sugar Planters' Association since 1947. Designed to study the location of the forces involved in translocation in sugarcane, the experiments reported here indicate that a major force in translocation resides within the leaf itself.