Invertase activity as affected by cytokinin-like compounds during potato tuberization in vitro

Acid invertase plays an important role in plants by hydrolyzing sucrose, Compounds exhibiting cytokinin activity were examined for their effects on acid invertase activity at three tuberization stages of potato, Solanum tuberosum L, Single nodal segments from the cultivar Atlantic were cultured on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium with 6% sucrose and maintained under a 16-hr photoperiod. Media were supplemented with either 2 mg kinetin/l, 0.1 mg thidiazuron/l, 1.0 mg AC243,654/l (a benzyl nitroguanidine), or 0.1 mg AC239,604/l (a phenyl nitroguanidine). Basal acid invertase activity was measured in stolen segments at three morphologically distinct tuberization stages: (1) "hook," (2) "swelling," and (3) "initiation." The onset of tuber initiation was significantly advanced by kinetin and thidiazuron compared to controls. Stolons elongated during the hook and swelling stages until tubers were initiated, Basal acid invertase activity in stolons cultured on control medium significantly increased from hook stage to swelling stage and then decreased slightly when tubers were initiated. At the hook stage, highest basal acid invertase activity occurred when the segments were treated with kinetin and thidiazuron. Kinetin and thidiazuron induced basal acid invertase activity significantly decreased following the hook stage to tuber initiation, Basal acid invertase activity were significantly lower in stolons treated with nitroguanidines than the control activity following the hook stage of development. During the swelling and tuber initiation stages, nitroguanidines-treated segments showed reduction in basal acid invertase activity similar to segments treated with kinetin and thidiazuron treatments. Tuber initiation was preceded by a stimulation of basal acid invertase activity followed by a decrease prior to tuber initiation. Kinetin and thidiazuron stimulated enzyme activity early in the growth of stolons which may have resulted in faster stolen growth and in earlier tuber initiation, The two nitroguanidines, although able to mimic many cytokinin effects in bioassays, did not seem to act in the same way as kinetin.