Abstract: In attempting to examine whether CN-resistant respiratory pathway is present in callus culture, we used tobacco callus cultures grown on different media. The M-1 medium contained tbe mineral and organic elements of MS medium and was supple,nented with 6-BA (0.5 mg/l) and 2,4-D (2 mg/l), and M-2 medium with 6-BA (2mg/l) and IAi (1 mg/l). No differentiation was observed in both of them. The respiration of M-1 callus was partly resistant to CN, and was markedly inhlbited by m-CLAM in the presence or absence of CN. Experiments of m-CLAM titration showed that the averages of relative contribution of alternative and cytochrome pathway in M-1 callus were 31% awl 46%of the total respiration respectively during the euliure period of 25 days. A same experiment was made on the M-2 callus. It was found that the pereeutages of relative contributions of the two electron transport pathways to the total respiration were approximately the same as those of the M-1 callus, although the respiratory rate was higher in M-2 callus. The above results showed that the bulk of respiratory electron flux was mediated by the eytoehrome pathway, although the alternative pathway was operative in callus of tobacco. The change of exogenous hormones added in the medium could not produee significant effects on the degree of relative contribution of two electron transport pathways under non-differentiation conditions.

Key words: Tobacco callus, CN-resistant respiration, Alternative pathway, Cytochrome pathway