Propuesta

higher yields than +.hose in which the

pH

dF.creases 1-'i th depth. On the krasnozem ir. Tasmania poppies are generally gro1m at

pH

values which range between

5.6

to

6.0

and below pE

5.6

very poor growth occurs . In their studies of the soils of the North West Region of �asmaniaJGraley

and Loveday

(1961)

observed that in some profil es pH increased with dept�, to values between

6. 0

a:1d

7. 0

although generally they decreased with depth. It is on the areas where

pH

increased with depth that best commercial yields havd often been obtained,

The very low morphine concentration in mature

dry

capsules from the field experiment at Forthside in

1970/71 (

Table

1 1 )

prompted a detailed stu.:.y of alternative methods of producing morphine in the Tasmanian environment. The sudden lowering of morphine content was a problem similar to that of the Eu;ropean industry

(

Kopp

1957,

Bunting

1963,

Miczulska

1967)

and the lines of investigation followed were the possib­ ility of losses due to

(i)

physical leaching and

(

ii

) fungal

breakdov.a. The results of section ; of this thesis �uggested that physical leaching could probably occur but that some form of chemical breakdown pro�ably occurred within the wall of the capsule as well.

The fungal inoculations of

_dry,

ground capsule material

(

Table

41)

and the field association between level of fungal colonisation and morphine concentration in intact

dry

capsules

(

Table

43)

1-1as more conclusive evidence that furl&i >rere involved in morphine losses. The main fungi identified were Helminthosno.d\:.IJI

Alternaria al ternata and Cla.dosnorium her'i:lartl!!l and all of these f'.mgi have been similarly implicated in morphine losses in Europe

(

Kopp

1957,

Miczulska

1967).

134.

Atte.mpts to control capsule fUZ�gj by the application of a regular schedule of beno�l and mancozeb commencing at petal fall were

not successful. Alternaria and species

were all isolated from t1·rminal capsule

wall

tissue in large numbers as early as seventeen days after full bloom and this level increased towards dry ba�est maturity. The incidence •·:as approximately the same in

sprayed a.nd :�on sprayed treatments

(Table

50).

The time of harvesting studit)s of Section

4.

were undert�en to explore the possibility that the whole plant o:.: some component could

be harvester. green and thus minimise the losses from the effects of fungi and leacPing. These losses were tho�ht to be greatest at the stage of dry harvest maturity. This study involved a preliminary survey of the pattern of morphine accumulatiotl and decline in capsules between flowering and dry maturity

(4.2.)

and this pattern confirmed that found by Bunting

(1963)

in Southern England with maximum morphine levels occu.-ring about two \<reeks before dry harvest. The pattern in the Tasmanian environment also followed that of Bunting

( 1 963)

and Schroder

(1965)

in that when rain and humid conditions occurred at and after dry maturity the capsule morphine levels fell quickly - a

30%

decline - over a period of two weeks

(

Fig

2 . ) .

The detailed investigations of tbe changes in morpbir-e yield of capsules, stem and leaves, and total pl��t between flowering and dry maturity did reveal some possible alterna-tives to the current system of dry capsule harvest

( 4. 2 . ) .

\fuen the whole plant was harvested green at any time from two to six weeks after full bloom it produced

5�i

mor� morphine than dry capsules at the conventional time of dry harvest eight weeks after full bloom

(

Table

29).

To achieve this yield. the fresh weight of total plant material handled ranged from fifteen to five times that of

dry

capsules. The moisture content of the plant two weeks after full bloom was

80fo

and a month later it was

5� (Fig 3 · )

•

The �atio of total plant morphine to capsule morphine at the tim.e of dry commercial maturity was 1 .

55

: 1 in this experiu:ant. Similar studies in East Germany have produced much greater advantages i.n favour of harvesting the [.Teen plant. Romisch

( 1953)

obtained a ratio of

4

:

1

and Heeger and Schroder

( 1959) 2

:

1 .

However the maxima in these European studies tended to occur as a sharp peak <>.bout a month before dry harvest. In contrast the constant morphine yield from totS.:.. plant in the Tasmanian experiment resulted from two mutually compensating factors . A gradual decline in dry matter yield of total

plant from two weeks after full bloora Yhich was offset by a gradual r:.�?a

in morphine concentration up to six \'leeks after full bloom

(

Table

28).

The econooics of this alternative were not investigated in this study ru:d would probably be of doubtful current commercial advantage. HoweYer the basic knowledge of the morphine derivable from the whole plant at ar.

early stage could be of importance in some eraergency situaticn of shor-e supply.

Possibly �he alternative of tarvesting semi-ripe capsules

about six weeks after full bloom may be a more viable economic alternative with respect to the cost of artificial drying. At that time in this study, capsules yielded

187� raore morphine than from commercial dry

capsule harvest two weeks latar. One week after the time of commercial harvest the advantage was

43;�

in this study

(

Table

29).

136.

Aleksandrov, V.G. and Aleks��drova, O.G.

(1932).

Comparative anatomical

study of the capsule structure in different representatives of the opiurn poppy. Pr:!.kl. :bot. Ser. £ :

316-350.

Aleksandrov, V.G. and Vislo�,, V.I.

(1934).

Principal features of structu.re of different organs of opiwn

poppy

(Panaver L . ) and the distribution of latex ducts in these organs. Bot.

.1.2.(gl :

141-162

Allen, A.G. and Fx·appell, B.D.

(1970).

The production of oil poppies.

Ta.smaairm J .

: 89-%

Allen, E.J., Morgan , D.G. and Ridgman, i'/.J.

(1971).

A physiological

analysis of the growth of oilseed rape. J. Camb. ,

11

:

339-341

Annett, H.E.

(1920).

Factors influencing alkaloidal content and yield of l�tex in the opium poppy (Papaver so�ferum). ��ochem. T 1Ai2l

: 618-636.

Antoun,

H,D.

_{a..'lld Roberts,} .M.F.

(1975).

Some enzymes of _{general metaoolism} in the latex of Panaver somniferum. � :

909-914.

Bagge, H.

(1953).

Manurial trials with linseed and opium poppy.

Tidsskr. �lanteavl .

2§.(�

:

304-316.

Ballarin, C. ·

(1950).

Studies on Helminthosnorium z.

�

:

399-442.

Barber, S.A.

( 1962).

A diff'..:.sicn and _{mass-flow concept of plant nutrient}

availability. SoiJ. Sci. .22. :

39-49.

Battersby, A.R., Binks, R. and Harper, B.J.

(1962).

Alkaloid biosynthesis

II. The biosynthesis of morphine. J. Chem. Soc.

1962 : 3534-3544·

Battersby, A.R., Foulkes,

D.N.

_{��d Binks, R.}

(1965).

_{Alkaloid biosyn­}

thesis. Part VIII. Use of optically active precursors for

investigations on the biosynthesis of morphine alkaloids. Soc.

.1.2§2 : 3523-3332.

Alkaloid bios�1athesis.

·

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