Studies in the respiratory and carbohydrate metabolism of plant tissues - Experimental studies of the formation of carbon dioxide and of the changes in lactic acid, sucrose and in certain fractions of keto-acids in potato tubers in air following anaerobic conditions

Abstract

Barker A Saifl (1953 b ), suggested that the initial rapid increase and the subsequent slower decrease in the CO 2 output of potatoes in air after a peroid under anaerobic conditions might be partly related to a quick formation of pyruvic acid from the accumulated lactic acid and to the respiration of the Pyruvic acid via krebs cycle (krebs & johnson 1937; krebs 1952). Information bearing on the associated changes in pyruvic and α-ketoglutaric acid has now been obtained using a technique (Friedemann & Haugen 1943; Friedemann 1950) which while not fully specific gives values that are known to include true pyruvic acid and true α-ketoglutaric acid as well as non-pyruvic and non-α-ketoglutaric acid material respectively. Associated with the loss of Lactic acid in air after nitrogen and the accompanying increase followed by a decrease in the CO 2 output, Mentioned above, there was first a rapid increase in the content of 'pyruvic' and 'α-ketoglutaric acid' and then a prolonged decrease in these fractions. The analysis of the interrelation between the loss of lactic acid and the production of CO 2 and of the keto-acids, and between the changes in the rate of CO2 output and the changes in the concentration of the keto-acids and of sucrose, is taken up in the next paper in this series (Barker & Mapson 1953).