Further studies of synergism in slit pea test

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Abstract
Synergistic interaction of indoleacetonitrile, naphthalene-acetonitrile, and cyclohexaneacetic acid with naphthaleneacetic acid as well as with indoleacetic acid reinforce previous doubts that indole-acetic acid oxidase can be involved in synergism in the slit pea curvature test. Phenylbutyric acid, skatole, and indole are essentially inactive as synergists. None of the compounds tested interacted synergistically with 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid. Growth of slit pea stem sections, as measured by increase in average length and fresh weight, does not reflect any synergistic interactions. It is possible that synergism in curvature responses is the result of modification by the synergist of the polarity of cell enlargement, which is not restricted by an intact epidermis in a slit section. Comparison of results obtained with whole and slit sections indicates that, until correlated with other tests, the meaning of activity in the slit pea curvature test must be questioned.