Rapid, Inexpensive Method for Determining Glucose Concentrations in Cotton Bolls and Other Plant Tissues

Our objective was to develop a rapid, specific, and inexpensive method for measuring glucose concentrations in bolls of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.). A new procedure was developed, based on a reagent strip for measuring blood glucose in diabetic patients, and compared with three other glucose methods by assaying glucose standard solutions. The strip results were significantly correlated (r = 0.948) with known concentrations of glucose and comparable to other methods in both precision and accuracy. For aqueous extracts of locules (lint and seed) from 15 days-post-anthesis (DPA) cotton bolls, glucose levels were ∼ 10 mg g −1 fresh weight. The raegent strip strongly correlated to glucose hexokinae, glucose oxidase, and anthrone methods with correlation coefficients (r) of 0.983, 0.994, and 0.974, respectively. Thus, the strip technique should be useful for routine glucose determinations in cotton bolls considering the time (∼ 2 min/sample), cost (∼ $0.70/sample), and portability