THE EFFECTS OF CO AND LIGHT ON THE OXYGEN CONSUMPTION AND ON THE PRODUCTION OF CO(2) BY GERMINATING SEEDS OF LUPINUS ALBUS

The consumption of oxygen by germinating seeds of Lupinus albus can be reversibly inhibited by CO to a maximum extent of 36 per cent with a mixture of 24 per cent O(2) and 76 per cent CO at 18°, in darkness. This inhibition is completely abolished when the seed is illuminated. On returning to air, after a period in the CO-O(2) mixture, the rate of oxygen consumption is accelerated to as much as 68 per cent over what it had been previously, in air. The production of CO(2) is apparently not inhibited by CO. The bearing of these findings on the study of the rates of gas exchange of the seeds as a function of temperature is discussed.