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The Effect of Boron and Gibberellic Acid on the Senescence of Leaf Discs from Lycopersicon esculentum cv. Rutgers
Author(s) -
PARMAR AMAR S.,
HAMMOND H. DAVID
Publication year - 1971
Publication title -
physiologia plantarum
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.351
H-Index - 146
eISSN - 1399-3054
pISSN - 0031-9317
DOI - 10.1111/j.1399-3054.1971.tb01422.x
Subject(s) - lycopersicon , gibberellic acid , boron , chlorophyll , sugar , gibberellin , senescence , horticulture , rna , biology , chromosomal translocation , botany , chemistry , biochemistry , germination , gene , genetics , organic chemistry
When leaf discs of Lycopersicon esculentum Mill. cv. Rutgers were floated on solutions containing 4.33 × 10 –6 M gibberellic acid (GA 3 ), 1.0 ×x 10 –6 M boron (B), separately and together, senescence was retarded with respect to controls. Degradation of chlorophyll, total protein, RNA, and DNA was delayed, and decreases in fresh weight and leaf disc diameter checked. The loss of chlorophyll, protein, RNA, DNA, fresh weight, and diameter were 10, 20, 30, 8, 28, and 0 per cent with GA 3 alone; 15, 25, 35, 8, 31, and 0 per cent with B alone; 8, 14, 25, 7, 25, and 0 per cent with GA 3 plus B; contrasted with 50, 40, 50, 9, 42, and 3 per cent for the controls. An analysis of variance was performed on all data except for disc diameter. All sources of variance were significantly or highly significant at the 1 per cent level except for the effect of boron on DNA level, which was significant only at the 2.5 per cent level. Retardation of senescence by GA 3 may be associated with the known ability of GA 3 to stimulate m‐RNA and protein synthesis. The effect of boron may be due to an effect on sugar and starch balance, translocation of sugar, or on water balance, but more likely boron plays a role in nucleotide and protein metabolism in plants. Boron may be involved in the synthesis of DNA, a role perhaps mediated by GA 3 .