Electrochemistry of soybean: effects of uncouplers, pollutants, and pesticides

Action potentials in higher plants are the information carriers in intercel lular and intracellular communication in the presence of environment change s. Action potentials take an active part in the expedient character of resp onse reactions of plants as a response to external effects. Action potentia ls in soybean (Glycine max (L) Merrill) can be as fast as the action potent ials in axons of nervous cells. In the present work we show that protonopho res FCCP, pentachlorophenol and 2,4-dinitrophenol induce fast action potent ials and decrease the variation potential to zero in a soybean. The speed o f the propagation of action potentials in a soybean induced by uncouplers i s up to 40 m s(-1). (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.