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Articles

Resistance to Injury by Sulfur Dioxide ¹

Correlation with Its Reduction to, and Emission of, Hydrogen Sulfide in Cucurbitaceae

Michigan State University-Department of Energy Plant Research Laboratory, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824

In Cucurbitaceae young leaves are resistant to injury from acute exposure to SO₂, whereas mature leaves are sensitive. After exposure of cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) plants to SO₂ at injurious concentrations, illuminated leaves emit volatile sulfur, which is solely H₂S. Young leaves emit H₂S many times more rapidly than do mature leaves. Young leaves convert approximately 10% of absorbed [³⁵S]SO₂ to emitted [³⁵S]H₂S, but mature leaves convert less than 2%. These results suggest that a high capability for the reduction of SO₂ to H₂S and emission of the H₂S is a part of the biochemical basis of the resistance of young leaves to SO₂.

³ Present address: ARCO Plant Cell Research Institute, Dublin, CA 94566.

¹ Supported by the United States Department of Energy under Contract DE-AC02-76ERO-1338.