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Published in Crop Sci 24:1158-1163 (1984)
© 1984 Crop Science Society of America
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Influence of Sample Treatment on Apparent Hydrocyanic Acid Potential of Sorghum Leaf Tissue1

F. A. Haskins, H. J. Gorz, R. M. Hill and J. Brakke Youngquist2

When dhurrin [p-hydroxy-(S)-mandelonitrile-ß0-D-glucoside], the cyanogenlc glucoside of sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench], is hydrolyzed by autoclaving, p-hydroxybenzaldehyde (p-HB) is released. The spectrophotometric determination of p HB concentration in autoclaved sorghum leaf extracts provides a measure of the hydrocyanic acid potential (HCN-p) of leaf tissue. Extracts of field-grown sorghumle aves contained substances that interfered with this procedure, but ether extraction effectively separated p-HB from these interfering materials. We observed that when flag leaf tissue from field-grown sorghum was dried at 75°Ca nd then autoclaved, HCN-pva lues were about three times as high as those based on tissue that was autoclaved without drying. Investigations of this apparent enhancement supported the conclusion that when fresh field-grown sorghum leaf tissue was autoclaved, dhurrin was extensively altered or lost, but neither poHBn or HCNw as produced. Drying the tissue at 75°C prior to autoclaving effectively reduced this loss. Inclusion of tissue drying and ether extraction steps in the spectrophotometric assay made this procedure, which was designed for use with sorghumse edlings, satisfactory for use with field-grown sorghum leaves.

Key Words: Cyanogenesis • Dhurrin • p-Hydroxybenzaldehyde • Prussic acid • Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench • Spectrophotometric assay

1 Contribution from USDA-ARS and the Nebraska Agric. Exp. Stn., Lincoln, NE 68585. Published as Paper no. 7398, Journal Series, Nebraska Agric. Exp. Sm. The work reported was done under Nebraska Agric. Exp. Stn. Project 12-114.

2 George Holmes professor of agronomy; supervisory research geneticist, USDA-ARS and professor of agronomy; associate professor of agricultural biochemistry; and research technologist in agronomy, respectively.

Received for publication February 6, 1984.




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