The Movement of Chloramphenicol and Streptomycin in Broad Bean and Tomato Plants

Abstract

The concentration of chloramphenicol in treated plants varied directly with that in solution over a range of 10–500μg./ml. Cut shoots contained more antibiotic than rooted plants. Chloramphenicol was distributed throughout plants treated with 200μg./ml. solutions for 19 hours, but the concentration at the base of plants was greater than that at the top. When treatment was continued for 5 days the concentration of chloramphenicol was uniform throughout the plant. If, following treatment, the plants were grown in water for 5 days, top leaves contained more antibiotic than lower leaves. The accumulation of chloramphenicol in rooted broad bean plants was a linear function of water uptake. Rooted broad bean plants grown for 18 hours in streptomycin solutions containing 500μg./ml. had a trace of antibiotic in bottom leaves only. No streptomycin was present in plants treated with less concentrated antibiotic solutions. Streptomycin moved more readily in cut shoots of broad bean and cut shoots and rooted tomato plants, but the antibiotic content of bottom leaves was much greater than that of top leaves. The accumulation of streptomycin in rooted broad bean plants was exceedingly slow.