pnut pnut Peanut Science 0095-3679 0095-3679 American Peanut Research and Education Society 10.3146/i0095-3679-1-2-7 Articles Carbon-14 Distribution in Peanut Fruit Parts During Maturation Following 14CO Treatment of Intact Plants1 Harold E. Pattee 2, Elizabeth B. Johns 3, John A. Singleton 4, and Timothy H. Sanders 5 Research Chemist, Southern Region, ARS, USDA and Department of Botany North Carolina State University, P. O. Box 5906, Raleigh, N. C. 27607 Research Associate, Southern Region, ARS, USDA and Department of Botany North Carolina State University, P. O. Box 5906, Raleigh, N. C. 27607 Chemist, Southern Region, ARS, USDA and Department of Botany North Carolina State University, P. O. Box 5906, Raleigh, N. C. 27607 Graduate Research Assistant, Southern Region, ARS, USDA and Department of Botany North Carolina State University, P. O. Box 5906, Raleigh, N. C. 27607

1Paper Number 4388 of the Journal Series of the North Carolina Agricultural Experiment Station, Raleigh, N. C. 27607. Received 8/10/74.

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 7 1974 7 1974 1 2 63 67 American Peanut Research and Education Society 1974 American Peanut Research and Education Society Abstract

Effects of sampling date and developmental stage on the distribution of radioactivity within the crude ethanol, lipid, and starch fractions from fruit, seed coat, and seed of peanut were investigated. Major differences were found between the first and fourth feeding dates in the amount of 14C-labeled photo-synthate translocated to individual peanut fruit parts. Maximum levels of radioactivity in the pericarp, seed coat, and seed were attained at progressively later developmental stages as the respective part became the dominant metabolic sink. Within the fruit, maximum radioactivity in starch was reached during early maturity (stage 3) and total radioactivity generally decreased with successive feeding dates. Thus the level of photosynthate being translocated to a given fruit decreases as more fruit develop on the plant. Observed relationships between level of radioactivity and specific activity of fruit-part components were interpreted as indicating that metabolic reserves are built up in the fruit and seed coat during early maturation and utilized later during seed development and maturation when the level of available translocated photosynthate has diminished.