Abstract
Changes in carbohydrates of the storage roots of asparagus on sprouting were studied.
1. In the storage roots, fructose, sucrose and fructans were present consistently, but glucose was rarely found. Fructans as storage carbohydrates were identified from 3 to 13 degrees of polimerization.
2. There was a carbohydrate concentration gradient along the storage root 2 days after sprouting. Concentrations of fructose and sucrose increased toward the root apex, but those of fructans decreased.
3. In rhizomes, concentrations of fructose and glucose were almost equal, and the concentration of sucrose was 5 times that of hexose.
4. Before sprouting, concentrations of fructose and sucrose in the storage roots decreased, but those of fructans did not change remarkably by 1 day after sprouting.
5. After sprouting, the concentration of fructose in the storage roots began to increase from 5th day at 20°C and from 8th day at 10°C. The increasing rate was higher at 20°C. Concentrations of sucrose and fructans did not change much.
6. In the detached root segments, no changes were detected in carbohydrate concentrations regardless of temperature.
7. Exogenously applied plant hormones such as GA3, GA4 and IAA did not influence carbohydrate concentrations in the detached root segments, regardless of temperature. It was suggested that breakdown of fructans in intact storage roots was not influencedby plant hormones.
