Uptake of RNA by the root system of tomato

Exogenous RNA is degraded under sterile conditions in solution to fragments greater than tetranucleotides which can be taken up by the tomato. The degradation and uptake are not equilibre at first. Equilibrium is established only after 20 hours. Fragments of high-molecular RNA are taken up more readily than those of artificially degraded RNA. Isolated roots take up RNA fragments in the same manner as the whole tomato.