Cytokinins in developing fruits of Moringa pterigosperma Gaertn.

Abstract

The existence of cytokinins both as a free form and as a constituent of t‐RNA was investigated in young fruits of Moringa pterigosperma Gaertn. Purified methanol extract was separated into butanol insoluble and butanol soluble fractions. The cytokinin(s) in the butanol insoluble fraction was tentatively identified as zeatin nucleotide. The butanol soluble fraction contained cytokinins and was chromatographed on Sephadex LH‐20 with 35% ethanol. The two active fractions from LH‐20 column coincided with zeatin and zeatin riboside. Cytokinin per g tissue was high in early stages of fruit growth and then remained more or less constant. Alkaline phosphatase hydrolysis of t‐RNA hydrolysate of fruit tissue showed considerable cytokinin activity.