Effects of Electric Current on Flowering in Pharbitis and Floral Stimulus activity in the Phloem Exudate of Cotyledons

Direct current (DC) applied to cotyledons during a 16 h inductive dark period inhibited the flowering in the short-day plant, Pharbitis nil Choisy cv. Violet. The inhibitory effect of DC was more profound when the current flowed from roots to cotyledons, showing its polarity-dependent action. The second half on the inductive dark period was more sensitive to DC stimulus. The flowering was significantly depressed only when DC stimuli were applied to the translocation path of the floral stimulus from the induced cotyledon to the apex, suggesting that the transport of floral stimulus was damaged by the DC treatment. The vegetative apex culture bioassay system showed that a significant level of the floral stimulus activity existed in the phloem exudate from the cotyledons which would fail to form their own floral buds. These results strongly support the hypothesis that DC partially impede, at least temporarily, the transmission path of the floral stimulus from florally-induced cotyledon to the apex, rather than depressing in situ synthesis of the floral stimulus.