Mineral Deficiency and Organic Constituents in Tobacco Plants. I. Alkaloids, Sugars, and Organic Acids

Abstract

A deficiency in any essential element affects the normal metabolic system and thus disturbs the balance of the chemical constituent of a living plant. The relative differences in alkaloid, sugar and organic acid are reported in Nicotiana tabacum var. Connecticut Broadleaf due to the deficiency of 1 of the following elements: N, P, K, Ca, Mg, S, and B. Manually and physiologically (-B, -Ca) topped plants showed a higher alkaloid content than plants given any of the other treatments mentioned above. Alkaloid formation is considered not simply as a function of total N available or of total N content in a plant. Amounts of various sugars and organic acids in the ethanol extracts and hydrolyzate fractions of plants given different treatments were reported. Untopped control plants appeared to have a higher total sugar content than others. Glucose seemed to indicate some relation to alkaloid formation, but not consistent. Boron deficient plants had the highest total organic acid content and untopped control plants are second. The high glutamic acid content in -B plants and its possible role in alkaloid formation are discussed.