CONCURRENT OXIDATION AND REDUCTION BY 
ROOTS: 
OSWALD SCHREINER AND M. X. SULLIVAN 
EHRLICH (I), whose results have been verified by others, has 
shown that oxidation and reduction processes may exist side by 
side in the animal organism. According to him the functioning 
protoplasm can oxidize or reduce by means of its oxygen saturated 
or unsaturated compounds, respectively. Since the difference in 
metabolism between plants and animals is one of degree only, it 
is to be expected that the plant cell likewise should exhibit both 
oxidizing and reducing powers, as has been found to be the case (2). 
Oxidation has been more extensively studied on account of its more 
readily recognized significance in life functions. Reduction, how- 
ever, is probably just as important as oxidation in the economy 
of the living cell, and is probably just as good an index of life 
activity. It is most likely that in the living cell oxidation and 
reduction alternate in quick succession, as DRECHSEL (3-5) has 
shown to be the case in certain oxidations outside the living body. 
It is probable that in this continual oxidation and reduction pro- 
toplasm suffers no change in its essential properties and thus pre- 
serves its identity. 
The literature dealing with the oxidizing power of plant juices 
is voluminous. Within recent years our knowledge of processes 
going on within the plant has been greatly enlarged by the studies 
Which have been made on the oxidizing enzymes. This work has 
been comprehensively summarized by CzareK (6), Bacx (7), 
Kastie (8), and Crark (38). 
The study of the oxidizing power of the plant roots in solution 
cultures, on the other hand, has received less attention. MOoLIscH 
(9) appears to have been the first to demonstrate the oxidizing 
Power of intact roots. He found that the root secretion was 
‘Contribution from the Laboratory of Soil Fertility Investigations. Published 
by permission of the Secretary of Agriculture. 
273] : [Botanical Gazette, vol. 51 
