Abscisic Acid Content and Stomatal Sensitivity to CO(2) in Leaves of Xanthium strumarium L. after Pretreatments in Warm and Cold Growth Chambers

Abstract

The degree of stomatal sensitivity to CO(2) was positively correlated with the content of abscisic acid of leaves of Xanthium strumarium grown in a greenhouse and then transferred for 24 hours or more to a cold (5/10 C, night/day) or a warm growth chamber (20/23 C). This correlation did not exist in plants kept in the greehouse continuously (high abscisic acid, no CO(2) sensitivity), nor in plants transferred from the cold to the warm chamber (low abscisic acid, high CO(2) sensitivity). The abscisic acid content of leaves was correlated with water content only within narrow limits, if at all. At equal water contents, prechilled leaves contained more abscisic acid than leaves of plants pretreated in the warm chamber. There appear to be at least two compartments for abscisic acid in the leaf.