Some effects of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid on the oxidation-reduction state of soybean seedlings.

During a study of the effect of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid on the soluble nucleotides in soybean seedlings (1)) a nonnucleotide compound accumulated in the treated seedlings. The same compound was found in high concentrations in immature soybean seeds that would not germinate (2). The compound inhibited seed germination and markedly affected respiration and phosphorylation of both intact soybean tissue and isolated mitochondria (1,2). In an earlier communication, this compound was referred to as Fraction C because of its elution position from Dowex l-formate (between adenosine and guanine monophosphates), and for convenience, the designation C is used in the section on identification. The present paper describes identification of Fraction C as an ascorbic acid-like compound, and also reports the results of some preliminary studies on the oxidation-reduction state of some cellular components of soybean seedlings after treatment with 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid.