Plants bean germination

Although it is evident from the above discussion that the fatty acids present in the usual vegetable or animal fats do not contribute to the carbohydrate stores in the animal body, there is ample proof that such may be the case in plants and lower organisms. This change has been confirmed in the castor bean where the R. Q. has been found to vary from 0.30 to 0.58 during the period of germination.1660 This could be correlated with the disappearance of fat and the formation of carbohydrate.167 There also seems to be evidence that silk worms are able to build carbohydrate at the expense of fat.168... 

More recently the properties of plant FDPases have been reinvestigated by Scala et al. (100). Three activities were separated from ungerminated and germinating castor beans and from mature leaves, which were similar in molecular weight (120,000-135,000) but which... 

Only one of the three FDPases was found to be sensitive to inhibition by AMP this was the neutral FDPase present in ungerminated castor beans. During germination a second activity appeared which was also active with RuDP. The alkaline activity was present in mature photo-synthesizing leaves, and its properties resembled those of the enzyme isolated from spinach leaves by Racker and Schroeder (55). All of the enzymes from the castor bean plant were found to require either Mg2+ or Mn2+. 

The neutral and nonspecific FDPases may function in nonphotosynthetic carbohydrate metabolism in higher plants. In the germinating castor bean acetate is utilized for the synthesis of sucrose 107, 108), and the presence of the AMP-sensitive FDPase in plant embryo tissues has been demonstrated by Bianchetti and Satirana 109). The changes in levels of this enzyme in response to changes in physiological conditions 109) support a gluconeogenic role for this enzyme. The role of the nonspecific acid FDPase in plant tissues remains unknown. 

Cantharidin (Figure 13), isolated from Spanish fly (Lylta vesicatoria L.), inhibits the growth of very young lupin (Lupinus albus L.) seedlings, Medico sativa L., Raphanus sativus L. and Brassica napus L. and Brassica napus L. seed germination at 20 ppm. It also inhibits the growth of wheat coleoptiles, com, tobacco and bean plants (241, 242). 

Nishimura, M., and Beevers, H. 1979. Subcelluiar distribution of gluconeogenic enzymes in germinating castor bean endosperm. Plant Physiol 64,31-37. 

Sasaki, K., Nagahashi, G., Gretz, M.R., and Taylor, I.E.P., 1989, Use of per C-deuterated myoinositol for the study of cell wall synthesis in germinating beans. Plant Physiol. 90 686-689. 

Soak seed in compost tea for 25 minutes before planting to help prevent disease and speed germination. Treat seed with an inocu-lant labeled for the type of bean you are planting before sowing to promote nitrogen fixation. Be sure to buy fresh inoculant each year, or check the date on the package for viability. 

Most disease problems in peas can be avoided with proper culture. Do not plant in wet soils. Plant in raised beds and add plenty of compost to loosen the soil. Rapid germination is essential to avoid root rot problems. Choose lighter soils for earliest plantings if you have a choice, and keep soil moist, but not wet.. Avoid touching plants when they are wet. Dispose of vines after harvest and till soil to reduce future problems. Plant peas where "0 peas, r beans have grown for at least 3... 

Time garden tasks. Optimizing growing conditions for a plant is not only a question of what to do, but of when to do it. Corn or bean seeds planted before the soil has warmed sufficiently do not germinate rapidly and are susceptible to damping-off. Tomatoes set out too early in the spring may succumb to frost or show phosphorus deficiency until their roots become active. 

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