Rapid Induction of Ion Pulses in Tomato, Cucumber, and Maize Plants following a Foliar Application of L(+)-Adenosine.

Application of picomole quantities of (+)-adenosine, a plant growth-regulating second messenger elicited by triacontanol, to tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.), maize (Zea mays L.), and cucumber (Cucumis sativa L.) foliage, increased Ca2+, Mg2+, and K+ concentrations in the exudate from the stumps of excised plants by 20 to 60% within 5 s after treatment. The change in ionic concentration of the exudate was transitory. When L(+)-adenosine and triacontanol were applied to different tomato plants at the same time, the L(+)-adenosine caused an increase in Ca2+ flux within 3 s, whereas a significant increase from triacontanol was not detectable until 5 min after application. This was expected because triacontanol elicits the formation of L(+)-adenosine. The enantiomer of L(+)-adenosine, D(-)-adenosine, had no effect on the cation concentration in tomato and inhibited the effect of L(+)-adenosine at equimolar or lower concentrations. These observations suggest that L(+)-adenosine acts by eliciting a rapidly propagated signal that increases the concentration of several ions in the apoplast. We postulate that modulations in apoplastic ion concentration, especially increases in Ca2+ concentration, constitute a mechanism by which plants regulate metabolic activity and growth in response to certain stimuli.