Changes in Permeability Induced by Victorin.

When susceptible oat tissues were treated with victorin, the toxin produced by the fungus Helminthosporium victoriae, and suspended and shaken in water, they lost electrolytes much more rapidly than untreated controls. Similar results were obtained with susceptible plants infected with H. victoriae but not with victorin-treated or inoculated, resistant plants. These results provide further evidence of the specificity of victorin and its ability to produce all the symptoms of Victoria blight of oats. They also suggest that changes in permeability, by affecting the salt balance of cells, may play a role in the augmented respiration characteristic of diseased plants.