Plant chemiluminescence.
Light production by plants was confirmed by measuring chemiluminescence from root and stem tissue of peas (Pisum sativum), beans (Phaseolus vulgaris), and corn (Zea mays) in a modified scintillation spectrophotometer. Chemiluminescence was inhibited by treating pea roots with boiling ethanol or by placing them in a N(2) gas phase. Chemiluminescence was increased by an O(2) gas phase or by the addition of luminol. NaN(3) and NaCN blocked both in vitro and in vivo chemiluminescence.It is postulated that the source of light is the hydrogen peroxide-peroxidase enzyme system. It is known that this system is responsible for chemiluminescence in leukocytes and it seems likely that a similar system occurs in plants.
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United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, Frederick, Maryland 21701.