Aleurone layers of Hordeum vulgare, cv. ;Himalaya' took up [(14)C]-abscisic acid (ABA) when incubated for various times. Radioactivity accumulated with time in a low speed, DNA-containing pellet accounting for 1.6 to 2.3% of the radioactivity recovered in subcellular fractions at 18 hours. Thin layer chromatography of ethanolic or methanolic extracts of the cytosol, which contained greater than 95% of the radioactivity taken up by layers, revealed that labeled ABA was metabolized to phaseic acid (PA) and 4'-dihydrophaseic acid (DPA) and three polar metabolites Mx(1), Mx(2), and Mx(3). ABA was not metabolized by endosperm, incubated under conditions used for layers, indicating that metabolism was tissue-specific. Layers metabolized [(3)H]DPA to Mx(1) and Mx(2). ABA, PA, and DPA-methyl ester and epi-DPA-methyl ester inhibited synthesis of alpha-amylase by layers incubated for either 37 or 48 hours. These layers converted the methyl DPA and epi-methyl-DPA esters to their respective acids. DPA did not inhibit Lactuca sativa germination or root and coleoptile elongation of germinating Hordeum vulgare seeds, or coleoptile elongation of germinating Zea mays seeds.