THE EFFECTS OF CO AND LIGHT ON THE OXYGEN CONSUMPTION AND ON THE PRODUCTION OF CO₂ 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 O₂ 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-O₂ 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 CO₂ 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.