Comparative Investigations on the Metabolism of 2-(2,4-Dichlorophenoxy)Isobutyric Acid in Plants and Cell Suspension Cultures of Lycopersicon esculentum

The metabolism of [(14)CH(3)]2-(2,4-dichlorophenoxy)isobutyric acid (DIB) was studied in plants and cell suspension cultures of Lycopersicon esculentum Mill. sp. ;Lukullus'. Both plants and cells in suspension culture showed a rapid uptake of DIB from nutrient media. The metabolites, isolated by extraction with methanol and separated by chromatographic methods, were identified by enzymic, chemical, and spectrometric methods. Two conjugates of the carboxyl with 2 and 3 moles glucose per mole DIB and, to a smaller extent, its beta-d-glucopyranosyl ester, were formed in both intact plants and cell suspension cultures, but there were quantitative differences.