Root Respiratory Characteristics of `Rotundifolia' Holly under Supraoptimal Temperatures

Respiration of excised Ilex crenata (Thunb.) `Rotundifolia' roots as influenced by root-zone growth temperature and buffer solution temperature was measured in the presence and absence of salicylhydroxamic acid (SHAM) and potassium cyanide (KCN). Respiration rates of roots excised from plants grown for 3 weeks with root-zones at 30, 34, 38, or 42C decreased linearly with increased root-zone growth temperatures when the buffer solution was maintained at 25C. When the buffer solution was the same temperature as the root growth temperature, respiration rates were similar. Respiration in roots from plants grown with the root zone at 30C was maximal with the buffer solution at 34C and decreased to a minimum at 46C. Above 46C, a presumably extra-mitochondrial stimulation of O 2 consumption occurred. The activity of the CN-resistant pathway was fully engaged (P' = 0.99) when roots were grown at 30C and buffer solution was at 25C (30-25). CN-resistant pathway activity decreased with `the buffer solution at 46C.