Some Studies of the Adsorption of Zinc Sulfate in Thompson Seedless Grape Canes.

Abstract

Results of flushing Thompson Seedless grape canes with different radioactive Zn65SO4 solutions show that the Zn65 was fixed or more likely adsorbed on the vessel walls, that flushing the same cane with distilled water dislodged very little of the Zn65, but that flushing with a solution of non-radioactive ZnSO4 caused a marked displacement of the Zn65 from the vessels. These studies further show that Zn65 was adsorbed rapidly from solutions at high pH values, that as the pH of the flushing solutions was decreased the adsorption of Zn65 also decreased per unit of length but increased over a longer total length especially in the first 30 to 60 cm of cane, and that the pH of the flushing solution was changed to a higher pH within the canes. When canes were flushed with solutions containing excessive amounts of Zn65SO4 + ZnSO4 the distribution of radioactivity was found fairly uniform through the length of the cane.