The Absorption and Translocation of Strontium by Plants

Abstract

In Red Kidney bean plants grown at a pH of 6.0 in nutrient culture, there was found to be no significant redistr. of Sr in the leaf system even when favorable concn. gradients existed. The total amt. of Sr which a tissue will accumulate is dependent on the age and type of the tissue. The uptake into the aerial portions is nearly proportionally dependent on the concn. of Sr in the nutrient environment. A slight increase in uptake efficiency was observed at Sr concn. above 1 ppm. Uptake efficiency is defined as the ratio of leaf Sr concn. to adsorbed root Sr concn. (L/R). The L/R increases linearly with decrease in pH over the range of 7 to 4. Tomato was found to have an L/R of 0.39, Red Kidney bean 0.34, wheat 0.28 and Russian thistle (Salsola pestifer) 0.14. The Neubauer seedling test demonstrated that barley will concentrate Sr in its aerial portions about 1.4 times the concn. present in an Ephrata fine sandy loam soil on a dry wt. basis.