Transport of the auxin, picloram, through petioles of bean and coleus and stem sections of pea

Abstract

The transport of the synthetic auxin, picloram (4-amino-3,5,6-trichloropicolinic acid) was investigated in sections of petioles of Phaseolus vulgaris L. and Coleus blumei Benth. and stems of Pisum sativum L. Transport of (14)C-picloram was basipolar in all tissues, although the degree of polarity was dependant on age. The velocity of picloram movement was calculated at between 0.75 and 1.11 mm/hr. The amount moved in a given time, the flux, was dependant on the concentration applied and the length of the sections used. Picloram did not appear to be metabolized by the tissues during the transport experiments. When compared to the movement of other growth regulators, picloram transport bears marked similarities to that of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid.