A Paper Chromatographic Survey of Gibberellins and Auxins in Immature Seeds of Leguminous Plants

Abstract

The distribution of gibberellins and auxins in immature seeds from 15 different genera of Leguminosae has been studied by paper chromatography.Gibberellins were bioassayed by rice seedling method and auxins by Avena straight-growth test. Both gibberellins and auxins were detected in almost all seed extracts examined.Two zones of gibberellin-like growth promotion were shown on the chromatograms developed in the mixture of isopropanol/water/ammonia (10:1:1). The activity of the one with Rf 0.7-0.8 was attributed to the known gibberellin A, while that of the other with smaller Rf value of 0.1-0.2, was due to a new gibberellin-like substance.On the other hand, three zones of auxin-like growth promotion were present on the chromatograms. They had similar Rfs to IAA, IAN and the accelerator α of Bennet-Clark and Kefford, respectively. The zone with Rf of the inhibitor β of Bennet-Clark and Kefford inhibited the growth of rice seedling as well as that of Avena coleoptile section.