Factors in Corn Steep Water Promoting Growth of Plant Tissues.

Abstract

A preliminary in-vestigation indicates that tissues of several plants are stimulated to grow by corn steep water. Cambial tissue from the cocklebur, Xanthium pennsylvanicum, is being used as an assay material for the growth promoting substances. The active material is soluble in water and 80% ethanol and insoluble in diethyl ether and n-butanol. It is not destroyed by boiling nor precipitated with barium. The active substance readily dialyzes through a colloidon membrane and is inactivated by ashing. The substance is separated on Merck activated charcoal into at least 2 distinct factors, 1 of which is held by the charcoal. 2 X 10-5 [image] Kinetin is necessary in the presence of corn steep water for growth of cocklebur tissue.