A physiological study was made of the abscission of leaf as induced by chemical injury to the leaf blade. Experiments were carried out with young trees of deciduous, rosaceous fruit-trees in 7 species, grown in the field. One percent aq. solution of phenyl mercuric acetate or of cupric sulfate was swabbed on a given part of the leaf blade to injure the leaf. Results obtained are as follows:
1. Leaf abscission was accelerated by injury of the leaf blade due to chemicals more highly than either by killing of the leaf-blade by dipping its upper half in hot water, or by removal of the entire blade from the petiole.
2. Leaf blade injuried by chemicals stimulated defoliation more than excision of leaf blade of the equal area. Injuried area of leaf blade, covering 20 percent of the leaf length, sufficed to cause abscission of the leaf.
3. Application of chemicals to any part of the leaf blade revealed to be more effective for causing abscission, than excision of leaf blade. Particularly, abscission occurred rapidly, when the chemicals were applied along the midrib, or to the lower half of the leaf blade.
4. Influence of the treatments, such as girdling of shoot or cutting the leaf trace, that would affect the movement of substances from other leaves, was examined on the abscission due to chemical injury. The girdling showed a retarding effect, and cutting leaf trace was found slightly accelerating, in relation to defoliation induced by chemical poisoning.
5. Results of experiments, in which the portion of leaf blade, treated with chemicals, was cut off periodically, showed that keeping the treated blade undetached until browning appeared, led to subsequent abscission of the leaf.
6. From the results above, it was considered that in the leaf abscission of rosaceous fruit-tress induced by chemical injury, certain abscission-stimulating factors may be formed in the leaf tissue at the site of injury or its neighbourhood. The abscission-stimulating factors seem to be produced in sufficient amount to induce abscission, during the course of reaction from discoloring to browning in the poisoned tissue of treated leaf. Presumably, the factors are translocated mainly through the midrib, from the poisoned area of the blade to the base of petiole.
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