Uptake and Distribution of Copper in Chrysanthemum morifolium

Abstract

The effects of various levels of copper on the uptake and distribution of copper in Chrysanthemum morifolium grown in solution culture and peat-sand have been examined. Whole plants growing in short days were sampled at regular intervals, divided into roots, stem, leaves and lateral shoots, and analysed for copper. The partitioning of copper between these tissues showed that a relatively large proportion (30–40 per cent) of the total plant copper was accumulated in the roots of normal plants during the harvesting period, compared with approximately 10 per cent in the roots of copper deficient plants. Whilst the copper content (ug g⁻¹) of leaves and stem from normal plants was negatively correlated with the amount of dry matter produced (P < 0·001), the corresponding copper deficient tissues showed little variation in copper content with increases in tissue dry weight. A more detailed investigation of the copper content of leaves from normal plants showed that gradients existed within the plant with respect to both leaf position and time of harvest which could be described by a single cubic surface equation (P < 0·001).