Naphthaleneacetic Acid: Localization in the Abscission Zone of the Bean

Abstract

When ¹⁴C-naphthaleneacetic acid, labeled in the ring, was applied to the petiolar stuib of debladed bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) plants, it accumulated in or between cell walls of tissue immediately adjacent and distal to the abscission layer. There was no localization in the abscission layer per se. Similar distribution patterns were observed in the abscission zone after naphthaleneacetic acid applications, which either delayed (10^-3M) or accelerated (10^-5M) abscission.