NEW METHODS FOR EFFECTING WATERTIGHT SEALS ON CORN ROOTS

摘要

Two effective methods of sealing corn roots into capillary glassware are. described One involves only a slight pressure on the root but cannot with-stand hydrostatic pressures across the seal in excess of 15 cm of water. The second, capable of withstanding 2 meters of hydrostatic pressure requires a melted sealing compound which can raise the root epidermis to temperatures between 50 and 56 C for about 2 seconds. Experiments using radioactive tracers have demonstrated that both seals effectively prevent ionic movement external to the root proper and that the heat-sealing process does not alter the root's absorption-transport capacity.