On the Effects of PABA on Germination - Progress in Organic and Physical Chemistry: Structures and Mechanisms - page 254

The PABA discovered by J. A. Rapoport as modi¿ er of metabolic processes al-
ready in 1940s. He showed on the example of experimental object, Drosophila , that
PABA evokes positive changes of nonhereditary character (i.e., it is not a mutagen) in
the organism development [1]. Rapoport [2] proposed a scheme of relations between
genotype, ferments, and phenotype: genes ĺ their hetero catalysis (on the substrate
of ribonucleic acid (RNA) molecule) ĺ messenger RNA (mRNA) ĺ mRNA cataly-
sis (substrate of amino acids) ĺ ferments ĺ their catalysis (different substrates) ĺ
phenotype.
Works on the application of PABA in the agriculture continue and deepen. The ex-
periments performed in the Republic of North Ossetia [4-9] showed, that the addition
of PABA to the nutritive substances (potassium humate, irlit, leskenit, corn extract,
juice of ambrosia, melted snow water, and others) gives a positive effect. The treat-
ment with PABA seeds of pea and honey plant sverbiga east ( Bunias orientalis ) before
planting [4], extra nutrition of clover [5], seed of leguminoze grasses [6] stimulates
the germination plants in a greater degree, then nutritive substances without PABA. A
positive result was got at treatment of sprouts of potato by mixture of the melted water
with juice of ambrosia, leskenit, and PABA [7]. This method resulted in the increase of
harvest of potato and decline of disease of Fusarium. Addition PABA in nutrient me-
dium for treatment seed of triticale [8] results in the increase of maintenance of protein
in green mass. Protracted treatment by PABA of handles of dogwood [9] increased en-
graftment of grafts. The PABA was used for the receipt of potato without viruses [10].
In the joint research of scientists of the Institute of Biochemical Physics RAS and
the North Caucasus Research Institute of mountain and foothill agriculture, it was
shown that the treatment by PABA of potatoes tubers with the subsequent enveloping
in an ash [11] increase yield of potato. Treatment of seed and seedlings of vegetable
cultures by solution of PABA in mixture with boric acid and permanganate potassium
[12] improves resistance to diseases of young plantlets and increases harvest of carrot,
beet, cucumbers, and tomatoes, seeds and seedlings of vegetables.
After treatment by PABA of binary mixture of seed of winter wheat and winter
vetch [13] the productivity and quality of green feed increases at mowing of mixture
in a period from the beginning of exit in a tube of wheat and beginning of budding of
vetch to forming of grain of milky ripeness of wheat.
In the conditions of the northern forest steppe of Tyumen region, where beside
of fertile soils occur saline, jointed impact of salt solutions, and PABA (0, 01% solu-
tion) on the seeds of three barley varieties with low salinity resistance considerably
increased the salinity resistance of germs independently on NaCl concentration [14].
The positive results were obtained under spraying of inÀ orescences of mother plants
of barley by the solutions of PABA before realization of crossing. In a series of hybrid
combinations the exceeding over control of length and width of À ag leaf, number of
leaves by plant and plant height was observed [15]. Spraying of inÀ orescences of four
amaranth samples by PABA solutions increased seed productivity, the concentration
of 0.02% showed to be the most effective [15].
The effect of PABA on germination, germination energy, and winter hardiness
of cereals, namely ears of winter cereals and panicles of millet species is studied. In