Respiration of Healthy and Leaf Roll Potatoes

Abstract

IN the study of virus diseases of plants, comparatively little attention seems to have been paid to the effect on metabolism. This is particularly surprising in the case of potato leaf roll where the retardation in growth, pallor of the foliage, and the accumulation of carbohydrates in the leaves at the expense of the tubers, point to the disease effecting profound changes in normal metabolism. In the belief that this modified metabolism would be reflected in the rate of respiration, a comparative study of the respiration (as measured by the weight of carbon dioxide evolved per gram fresh weight and dry weight) of healthy and leaf roll potatoes has been made at various stages in the life-cycle.