TANDEM MOVING PRESSURE WAVE MECHANISM FOR PHLOEM TRANSLOCATION

A mechanism for phloem translocation is proposed based on a loading-un loading hypothesis. The forces are many local tandem moving pressure g radients. Evidence to support this hypothesis is developed from the pu blished literature along with some newly presented data. This mechanis m reconciles phenomena of pressure-flow, contractile protein, and elec trical hormonal control in an hypothesis which is essentially active a nd ultimately symplastic for both loading and unloading of sieve tubes . It has permitted predictions to be made and tested successfully in s ome twenty experiments to date.