Abstract
WHEN a seed germinates, we expect the defensive secondary compounds it contains to be transferred intact to the growing seedling, or variously decomposed to produce resources for the growing seedling. The seeds of wild indigenous Costa Rican lima beans (Phaseolus lunatus L.) contain about 3.45% fresh weight of linamarin1, a cyanogenic glucoside that can enzymatically decompose to produce 0.37% fresh weight hydrocyanic acid (HCN). We report here that, after germination, the amount of linamarin in the total seedling (roots, cotyledons, and shoots) remains essentially constant during a 26-day experimental period and moreover corresponds to the amount of linamarin present in the seed before germination (Fig. 1).
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Conn, E. E. Biochem. Soc. Symp. 38, 277–302 (1973).
Dement, W. A. & Mooney, H. A. Oecologia 15, 65–76 (1974).
Stafford, H. A. Phytochemistry 8, 743–752 (1969).
Janzen, D. H., Juster, H. B. & Bell, E. A. Phytochemistry 16, 223–227 (1977).
Janzen, D. H. Am. Nat. 107, 786–788 (1973).
Lambert, J. L., Ramasamy, J. & Paukstelis, J. V. Analyt. Chem. 47, 916–918 (1975).
Butterfield, C. S., Conn, E. E. & seigler, D. S. Phytochemistry 14, 993–997 (1975).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
CLEGG, D., CONN, E. & JANZEN, D. Developmental fate of the cyanogenic glucoside linamarin in Costa Rican wild lima bean seeds. Nature 278, 343–344 (1979). https://doi.org/10.1038/278343a0
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/278343a0
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.