Isolation and Identification of a Growth Inhibitor in Tung Bud Scales1

Abstract

Authentic abscisic acid (ABA) and dormant tung (Aleurites fordii Hemsl.) bud-scale extract had similar Rf values in the 4 solvents tested. Corresponding inhibition of lettuce-seed germination and equal retention times of methylated derivatives on gas-liquid chromatograms also indicated the similarity of the isolated inhibitor to ABA.

Hormonal Control of Flower Bud Dormancy in Sour Cherry (Prunus cerasus L.). I. Identification of Abscisic Acid1

“…A similar inhibitory zone was later termed the ^-inhibitor complex (2). Abscisic acid (ABA) was isolated in crystalline form from birch and sycamore leaves as the main inhibitor of this zone (6,7,12,17), and has been identified as a component of the ^-inhibitor complex from willow sap (11) and tung bud scales (20). It has been tentatively identified by thin-layer chromatography (TLC) and bioassay in buds of apple (14) and peach (4,5), characterized by gas-liquid chromatography (GLC) in apple buds (1Q) and olive leaves (1), and positively identified in coffee flower buds by GC-MS (3).…”

Hormonal Control of Flower Bud Dormancy in Sour Cherry (Prunus cerasus L.). II. Levels of Abscisic Acid and its Water Soluble Complex1

“…Most of the inhibitory activity was found in the scales of apricot (19), blackcurrant (23), peach (8) and tung (22) buds, while Seeley (20) found the highest concentration of ABA in the central portions of apple terminal buds.…”