Abstract
The fate of fatty compounds and surfactants used for tobacco sucker inhibition was studied with 14C-labelled materials applied to field-grown Nicotiana tabacum L. cv. Maryland Catterton plants. Residual materials recovered from test tobacco showed the following: [ 1 ] When lauric acid was used, the residual material was maintained essentially in the acid fraction. [2] When lauryI alcohol was used, a considerable part (9.7-24.8 %) was converted to the acid fraction, indicating possible oxidation of alcohol in the field; smaller amounts (7.4 to 14.8 %) were found in the ester fraction. [3] When methyl laurate was used, most (54-77 %) of the residue was recovered in the acid fraction, a small part (12.6 to 22.7 %) was found in the alcohol fraction, and the rest (10.3-23.3 %) remained in the ester fraction. [4] When Tween surfactants were used, nearly all the residual materials had been hydrolyzed to free polyol and fatty acids