The effect of auxin on stress relaxation in isolated Avena coleoptiles

In order to characterize further the mechanical properties of coleoptile cell walls, stress relaxation measurements were made on methanol-boiled sections of Avena coleoptiles. Relaxation was measured both in mechanically conditioned specimens and in specimens which had not been previously extended. In both cases the relaxation was proportional to log time. Mechanical conditioning increased the relaxation modules and decreased the relative rate of relaxation. In contrast, pretreatment of the live coleoptiles with indoleacetic acid reduced the relaxation modulus and the absolute rate of relaxation but did not affect the relative rate of relaxation. Essentially similar pictures of the mechanical properties of coleoptile walls are obtained from stress relaxation and creep tests; the wall behaves as a nonlinear viscoelastic material.