ABSTRACT
Plants attacked by various pests may have lower content of some vitamins, especially vitamin C. This is apparently due to an accelerated rate of vitamin loss over that in the healthy tissues, which sets in when plant tissues are attacked by foreign organisms. Some pathogens may also increase the concentration of some plant vitamins. For example, mosaic virus was noted to increase the ascorbic acid concentration in the tubers of 13 of 17 potato varieties one month after storage. Also, infection of tomato plant with tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) was found to increase the ascorbic acid content in its stem and leaves. Virus infection can also alter the concentration of vitamin C in plants. In radish, for example, the concentration of ascorbic acid increases in the leaves and in the roots as the plant matures. The rate of increase, however, was noted to be much slower in the plants infected with radish mosaic virus.
