Early incorporation and distribution of 14C-photosynthates after 14C-feeding for a brief period in tea plant

In order to clarify the early incorporation and distribution of 14C-photosynthetic products in tea plants after 14C-feeding for a brief period, 14C-tracer experiments were performed, using the winter leaves, first crop shoots and young tea plants of a cultivar, Yabukita. As the results of the experiment on leaf disks by 14C-Feeding for one minute, the 14C-activity in the ethanol soluble fraction distributed in the anionic, cationic and neutral fractions in this order. When the time of feeding was extended to 10 min, the distribution in the cationic fraction decreased, and that in the neutral fraction increased. In the experiment on shoots, after the end of 10 min assimulation, the 14C-activity in the ethanol soluble fraction distributed in the neutral, cationic and anionic fractions in this order. In course of time, the distribution in the cationic and anionic fractions decreased, and that in the neutral fraction increased. As the results of 14C-feeding to young tea plants for 2.5 hours, 70 - 95% of the 14C-activity in the ethanol soluble fraction distributed in the neutral fraction. Sucrose seemed to be the primary and early product of photosynthesis, and might be the principal carbohydrate form of translocation and reserve in tea plants. Raffinose and stachyose played almost the same role as sucrose. (Kako, I.)