Air Ion Effects on the Oxygen Consumption of Barley Seedlings

Abstract

IN previous work we demonstrated that exposure of higher plants such as Avena sativa and Hordeum vulgaris to (+) or (−) air ions generated in a pollutant-free atmosphere produced a statistically significant increase in growth under laboratory conditions as well as under greenhouse conditions^1,2. Since then, our interests have been focused on the biochemical mechanisms involved in air-ion-enhanced growth. It was found that (+) or (−) air ions materially increase the biosynthesis of cytochrome c and other iron-containing enzymes^3,4. We have postulated that the increased concentration of these enzymes may be an important metabolic factor in making possible the accelerated growth-rate regularly observed in ionized air⁴. If this is so, one would expect to find evidence of increased respiratory activity in ion-treated plants. The experiments described here were performed to detect such an increase.