Investigations into the mechanism of mercuric chloride stimulated phytoalexin accumulation in Phaseolus vulgaris and Pisum sativum
Hargreaves, J.A.
Physiological Plant Pathology 15(3): 279-287
1979
DOI: 10.1016/0048-4059(79)90079-1
Accession: 000686592
Phaseollin accumulated in bean and pisatin in pea cotyledons after incubation at 25 deg C following treatment with mercuric chloride. Both the duration of treatment and conc. of mercuric chloride determined max. phytoalexin concs. Highest levels occurred when cell damage caused by mercuric chloride was microscopically visible. With increasing amounts of dead cells the concs. of phytoalexins decreased, and in some treatments no phytoalexins were formed even when some tissue was still alive. The accumulation of phaseollin appeared to be more closely associated with cell death than that of pisatin.