THE PHYSIOLOGY OF HOST–PARASITE RELATIONS: V. A PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION OF THE LEVEL OF FREE ENDOGENOUS INDOLEACETIC ACID IN RUSTED AND MILDEWED CEREAL LEAVES AND THEIR ABILITY TO DECARBOXYLATE EXOGENOUSLY SUPPLIED RADIOACTIVE INDOLEACETIC ACID

The growth substances were extracted with cold alcohol from the first leaves of uninfected, rusted (wheat), and mildewed (barley) cereal seedlings. The acid ether fractions were chromatographed on paper and the chromatograms were cut into sections which were assayed for growth promoting or inhibiting activity in the Avena coleoptile straight growth test. The estimated, free, endogenous indoleacetic acid content of uninfected leaves ranged from 0.5 to 3.2 μg. per kilogram fresh weight. In the early stages of infection this decreased, but increased again to from 5 to about 10 μg. per kilogram fresh weight by the 10th day after the inoculation of susceptible hosts. Indoleacetic acid was not detected in ungerminated uredospores of stem rust (race 15B), but two other growth promoting substances appeared to be present.Leaf disks were incubated with radioactive indoleacetic acid (as —C14OOK) and the radioactivity released as C14O2 was measured. The ability of the tissue to decarboxylate the indoleacetate (‘oxidase’ activity) increased sharply, sometimes to as much as 1000%, in the first 3 days after inoculation. With susceptible hosts, this increase was followed by an almost equally sharp decrease to less than 50% of the values for uninfected tissue. With infected, resistant tissue, the secondary decrease in ‘oxidase’ activity was delayed and less pronounced.The results are discussed and a working hypothesis suggested with respect to the relation between susceptibility or resistance and the auxin balance.