Further Experiments on the Relation of Vitamin B1to the Growth of Green Plants

Abstract

The earlier report that the growth of some spp. of green plants under conditions of sand culture with Shive''s nutrient soln. responds to the addition of vitamin B1 is confirmed and 875 [1940] PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 9363-9372 extended. The dry weight of numerous spp. of plants (Cosmos, mustard) may be increased by addition of vitamin B1 (0.01 mg. per liter) to the nutrient soln. The response of a given species of plant to added vitamin B1 is correlated with the amt. of vitamin B1 contained in the leaves of that species. Tomato and pea which contain relatively large amts. of the vitamin in their leaves (18 and 13 mg. per kg. dry weight of leaf respectively) do not respond to added vitamin B1 under the conditions of the investigation; Camellia (no detectable vitamin B1 in the leaves) and other spp. with less than 10 mg. of vitamin B1 per kg. dry weight of leaf exhibited increased growth when supplied with added vitamin.