Certain Effects of Benzimidazole on Young Tobacco Plants

It has been reported that benziazole compounds, of which benzimid'azole is one, are growth regulators (4). The responses of this group of compounds appear to vary somewhat from some of the other growth regullators and bhths according to Klingen)smilth the benzazoles sihoul,d be classified as a slelparate dl'ass of compounds. One of the effects of benzimidazoile is an added uptake o-f potassium in exlcised barley roots (3). Sinceithis uptake was observed only in excised roots i,t was thought advisable to establish whether additional uptake of potassium cou!ld be obtained in the leaves o,f intact plants whose roots were treated wi(th benziimidazole. Tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) was selected for this research because thi,s species has a higher potassium requliremenit for optimum growth 'than do most species.