@article {850021, title = {Testing the M{\"u}nch hypothesis of long distance phloem transport in plants}, journal = {eLife}, volume = {5}, year = {2016}, month = {2 June 2016}, abstract = {

Long distance transport in plants occurs in sieve tubes of the phloem. The pressure flow hypothesis introduced by Ernst M{\"u}nch in 1930 describes a mechanism of osmotically generated pressure differentials that are supposed to drive the movement of sugars and other solutes in the phloem, but this hypothesis has long faced major challenges. The key issue is whether the conductance of sieve tubes, including sieve plate pores, is sufficient to allow pressure flow. We show that with increasing distance between source and sink, sieve tube conductivity and turgor increases dramatically inIpomoea nil. Our results provide strong support for the M{\"u}nch hypothesis, while providing new tools for the investigation of one of the least understood plant tissues.

}, author = {Michael Knoblauch and Jan Knoblauch and Daniel L Mullendore and Jessica A Savage and Benjamin A Babst and Sierra D Beecher and Adam C Dodgen and Kaare H Jensen and Noel Michele Holbrook} }