Date of Award:

5-1972

Document Type:

Dissertation

Degree Name:

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department:

Plants, Soils, and Climate

Department name when degree awarded

Botany

Committee Chair(s)

Herman H. Weibe

Committee

Herman H. Weibe

Committee

George W. Welkie

Committee

Frank B. Salisbury

Committee

Thomas M. Farley

Committee

John O. Evans

Abstract

The influence of the concentration of several solutes on the activity of succinic dehydrogenases from acetone powders of several species was studied spectrophotometrically. The plants used were: Cauliflower (Brassica oleracea var. botrytis, L.) sugarbeet (Beta vugaris, L.) sunflower (Helianthus annus, L.), Halogeton glomeratus (M. Bieb) C.A. Mey., and Samphire (Salicornia rubra, A. Nels.). Sodium chloride, potassium chloride, mannitol, sucrose, glycerol, glucose, and Hoagland's solution, at increasing concentrations, were used.

Decreased (more negative) osmotic potential produced by sodium chloride, potassium chloride, and Hoagland's solution resulted in a slight increase in enzyme activity at low solute concentrations (π = -5 to -10 bars) but decreases in activity at higher solute concentrations (to about -130 bars).

Increasing concentrations of glucose and sucrose resulted in greatly increased succinic dehydrogenase activity.

Increasing concentrations of glycerol in the reaction cuvette resulted in decreased enzyme activity.

Increased water stress, produced by repeated wilting, did not cause changes in succinic dehydrogenase activity in sunflower plants.

It appears that osmotic potential is not the cause of variations in succinic dehydrogenase activity, since equal osmotic potentials produced by sodium chloride or sucrose led to almost opposite results. Instead, the species of solute and its concentration seem to be more important.

Halophytes (Halogeton and Salicornia) had about the same activity and reaction to various solutes as the other plants were tested. It appears that at the osmotic potentials used, there were no significant differences in succinic dehydrogenase activity among the five species.

Checksum

cb3a66745c9722a61a1d5f55f302a717

Download

Included in

Biology Commons

Share

COinS

Copyright for this work is retained by the student. If you have any questions regarding the inclusion of this work in the Digital Commons, please email us at .