Alterations of catalase activity in Pinus leaves [antikvár]

ALTÉRATIONS OF CATALASE ACTIVITY IN PINUS LEAVES by DR. V. FRENYÓ and J. MIHÁLYFI Department of Plánt Physiology of the Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest Received on September 28th, 1963 Introduction In his investigations concerning the tissues of Vitis vinifera Jerzy Czosnowski (1952) has found remarkable changes, taking place in the activity of enzymes as a result of biochemical and physiological conditions; his findings were published in "Poznánskie Towarzystwo Przyjaciól Nauk" by the Polish Academy of Sciences. In Hungary, catalase activity of Vitis has been thoroughly dealt with by Mária Horváth-Mószáros, (1961) who studied the effect of hybridization. Our own results have confirmed the conclusion to be drawn from the work of the Polish and Hungárián authors referred to: enzyme activity can actually be used for diagnostical purposes (F r e n y ó 1962; Frenyó and Szendrői 1963). This result asserts itself in the present paper summing up a finished part of a more comprehensive test series. Catalase activity can furnish informations, for instance, on metabolic alterations resulting from different treatments of seedlings grown in nurseries (Horváth - Nóvák, 1962). For this purpose, enzyme activity must be known by the parts of the body and by the sections of the day. With the present paper we wish to contribute to the foundations of a diagnostical procedure to be developed later. Material and method The examinations have been performed in the field by means of an appliance patented under the Hungárián licence No. FE -542/42. The essence of the method is to place the tissue pieces to be tested into one of the branches of a Y-shaped small glass recipient and topour hydrogenperoxide solution into the other branch. A scaled capillary measuring tűbe is adapted to the polished inlet of the recipient. If the recipient is now overturned, the solution, separated so far on account of the Y-shape, comes into contact with the tissue pieces.