Inhibitory Effect of Water on Oxygen Consumption by Plant Materials

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Abstract
Adding water to corn, soybean, and barley tissues resulted in marked decreases of O2 uptake. Carrot, oat, and potato tissues were affected similarly but to a smaller degree. Substitution of O2 for air in the gas phase partially or completely reversed the effect of added water. The inhibitory action of water on O2 uptake of corn scutellum was attributed to the decreased rate of O2 diffusion through the tissues for the following reasons (I) The inhibition was removed by replacing air with O2; (II) The inhibitory effect decreased with decreasing thickness down to a tissue thickness of 0.50 mm; (III) In the presence of water the uptake of O2 had a low temperature coefficient, similar to that of O2 diffusion through water; (IV) Minute amounts of water and previous soakings had inhibitory effects. The O2 uptake of intact soybean cotyledons during germination is rate-limited by the lack of sufficient phosphate acceptors and by the rate of O2 diffusion.

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