Surfactant Effects on Isolated Plant Cells

Isolated plant cells from leaf tissue of soybean [Glycine max(L.) Merr. ‘Harosoy’] and wild onion (Allium canadenseL.) were used to study the effects of four surfactants on cell permeability as measured by loss of intracellular material and on photosynthetic14CO2fixation. Surfactant-induced alteration in cell permeability could not be related to surfactant-ionogenic class but could be related to reported phytotoxicity. Surfactants that altered cell permeability also inhibited photosynthetic14CO2fixation, indicating that surfactant effects were not restricted to the outer-cell membrane. Isolated cells from the monocotyledonous wild onion were more susceptible to surfactant-induced alterations in cell permeability than were cells from the dicotyledonous soybean. Efflux of intracellular material was modified by Ca++and Mg++to a greater extent for soybean than for wild onion. Integrity of the isolated cells, before and after surfactant treatment, was verified by microscopic observation.