EVIDENCE OF A FACTOR ASSOCIATED WITH ACTIVELY FUNCTIONING TISSUES WHICH GIVES TO SUGARCANE PLANTS RESISTANCE TO THE INVASION OF FUNGI AND OTHER MICROORGANISMS

Abstract

Sugar cane cuttings used as seed pieces produce an aerial shoot which subsequently develops its own roots. However, until such time as the aerial shoot forms roots, it utilizes nutrients in the seed piece or those obtained through the seed piece by its roots. If the roots of the aerial shoot were prevented from functioning, the aerial shoot obtained its nutrients through the seed-piece roots for many months with no difficulty. Where nutrition occurred through the seed piece there was no invasion by microorganisms in the seed piece; but where the aerial shoot was allowed to form roots and feeding was independent of the seed piece, invasion of the seed piece by microorganisms was very prompt and decay resulted. There seems to be a factor or several factors in actively functioning tissues of sugar-cane plants which give to such tissues resistance to the invasion of low-grade fungi and other microorganisms. The nature of these factors is unknown.