RESPIRATION AND INTERNAL GAS CONTENT OF INJURED SWEET-POTATO ROOTS

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Abstract
This study was instigated to determine whether the increased respiration of injured sweet potato roots is due primarily to the stimulation caused by wounding or merely to the facilitation of gaseous exchange through the open, wounded areas. Respiration was measured by the use of a static-absorption respirometer, modified to obtain max. sensitivity. The extraction of internal atmosphere and gas in soln. was accomplished by a vacuum method in which these are measured in toto. Respiration and gas analyses were detd. on wounded (sealed and not sealed) and not-wounded lots of roots. Any change between the initial and final internal gas, content was either added to or subtracted from the respiration value for each lot. The authors conclude: 1) the increase in the apparent respiratory rates of both sealed and not-sealed wounded sweet potato roots which immediately followed wounding was due entirely to wound stimulation; 2) when the CO2 of the internal gases was added to that of apparent respiration, the true respiration value was obtained and was the same for both the sealed and not-sealed lots; 3) the increase in internal CO2 content in the sealed lots of sweet potatoes was due entirely to wound stimulation; 4) to obtain a true measurement of the respiratory rate of any plant organ or tissue the apparent rate should be corrected to include any change between the initial and the final internal content of CO2.