Abstract
To account for the much wider stomatal apertures found within a porometer cup than elsewhere on an illuminated leaf1, the hypothesis was examined that some volatile substance produced by the leaf itself caused opening of the stomata in light when in high concentration. On testing this hypothesis a considerable amount of experimental evidence was obtained in its favour. Thus detached leaves in water of Pelargonium or wheat, enclosed together with entire plants in a saturated atmosphere under a bell jar and illuminated for a few hours, showed wide stomatal opening when tested by the injection technique of Williams1 ; single leaves similarly enclosed by themselves, also in a saturated atmosphere and illuminated, showed little or no injection. On the other hand, similar single leaves of wheat each enclosed in a small volume of saturated air in a glass tube showed very heavy injection, as in the leaves from the crowded bell jars. When such tubes were swept continuously with a slow stream of humid air, little or no injection of the leaves was found.
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HEATH, O. Control of Stomatal Movement by a Reduction in the Normal Carbon Dioxide Content of the Air. Nature 161, 179–181 (1948). https://doi.org/10.1038/161179a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/161179a0
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