The Relation of Plant Growth Hormones to the Action of Ethylene Upon Plants

Citation

Michener, Harold David (1937) The Relation of Plant Growth Hormones to the Action of Ethylene Upon Plants. Dissertation (Ph.D.), California Institute of Technology. doi:10.7907/2g89-8b32. https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechTHESIS:01292025-041902678

Abstract

The attention of investigators was first brought to this subject by the damage done to street trees by illuminating gas. This was investigated by Girardin (1864) and Virchow (1870). Further studies along this line were ma.de by Stone (1907, 1913) and Wilcox (1911). Among the effects described were wilting, yellowing, and. falling of the leaves. and injury to the cambium.

Kny (1871) found variation among different species in their sensitivity to illuminating gas. Spath and Meyer (1873) found gas most damaging to plants which were actively growing. Wiesner (1878) did experiments on phototropism with seedlings of Vicia, Pisum, and Phaseolus. As a light source he used a gas light. He noticed that gas effected geotropism, and termed the effect 11undulierende nutation". He considered this to be due to the disappearance of geotropism under the influence of ethylene. Molisch (1884) observed that ethylene affects geotropism in roots. He also investigated the toxicity to plants of tobacco smoke, and found that it is not due to nicotine. It was later shown (Knight and Crocker, 1913) to be due to ethylene.

Thesis Files