Suberization: Inhibition by Washing and Stimulation by Abscisic Acid in Potato Disks and Tissue Culture

Abstract

Wounding of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) tubers results in suberization, apparently triggered by the release of some chemical factor(s) at the cut surface. Suberization, as measured by diffusion resistance of the tissue surface to water vapor, was inhibited by mm concentrations of indoleacetic acid, unaffected by mm concentrations of traumatic acid, severely inhibited at μm concentrations of cytokinin, but stimulated by abscisic acid (ABA) at 10⁻⁴ m. Thorough washing of potato disks up to 3 to 4 days after cutting resulted in severe inhibition of suberization as measured both by diffusion resistance and by the amount of the octadecene diol generated by hydrogenolysis (LiAlH₄) of the tissue. Disks washed after 4 days did not show any inhibition of suberization. High performance liquid chromatographic analysis of the wash from fresh potato disks showed that about 14 ng of ABA was released into the wash per g of tissue. The amount of ABA released increased with time up to 4 to 6 hours of washing. The maximal amount of ABA was washed out after aging for 24 hours and after 2 days of aging ABA could no longer be found in the surface wash of the disks. Addition of ABA to the media of potato tissue cultures resulted in suberin formation whereas control cultures contained little suberin. The effect of ABA on suberization in the tissue cultures was shown to be linearly concentration-dependent up to 10⁻⁴ m and a linear increase in suberin formation was seen up to about 8 days of culture growth on the media containing 10⁻⁴ m ABA. From these results it is proposed that during the early phase of wound-healing ABA plays a role in triggering a chain of biochemical processes which eventually (in about 3 to 4 days) result in the formation of a suberization-inducing factor, responsible for the induction of the enzymes involved in suberin biosynthesis.