Indexed on: 01 Sep '74Published on: 01 Sep '74Published in: Planta
The distribution of sugars in the leaf sheath base of wheat (Triticum aestivum) becomes asymmetric following horizontal displacement, the reducing sugar content of the lower side rising to 300-400% of that of the upper side during a 24-h stimulation period. The changes involve the hydrolysis of sucrose and appear, in older organs, in the absence of growth. Although gravity-induced, the increase in reducing sugar content is not essential for initiation of the growth which gives rise to the geotropic response.