No abstract

The proton NMR relaxation of water in maize roots in the presence of paramagnetic centers, Mn2+, Mn- EDTA2 -, and dextran-magnetite was measured. It was shown that the NMR method of Conlon and Outhred (1972, Biochem. Biophys. Acta. 288:354-361) can be applied to a heterogenous multicellular system, and the water exchange time between cortical cells and the extracellular space can be calculated. The water exchange is presumably controlled by the intracellular unstirred layers. The Mn- EDTA2 - complex is a suitable paramagnetic compound for complex tissue, while the application of dextran-magnetite is probably restricted to studies of water exchange in cell suspensions. The water free space of the root and viscosity of the cells cytoplasm was estimated with the use of Mn- EDTA2 -. The convenience of proton NMR for studying the multiphase uptake of paramagnetic ions by plant root as well as their transport to leaves is demonstrated. A simple and rapid NMR technique (spin-echo recovery) for continuous measurement of the uptake process is presented.

No abstract

The hydration mechanism of various plant seeds has been investigated by a) sorption-desorption isotherms, b) ac-dielectric spectroscopy in the 10 Hz to 1 GHz frequency range and the -80 to + 40 degrees C temperature range, and c) thermally stimulated depolarization current techniques in the -170 to + 23 degrees C temperature range. Seeds of different chemical composition were studied at water contents varying between 0 and 40% w/w (dry weight basis). Our experimental results permitted us to determine i) the diffusion constant of water in the samples, found to be between 1.4 x 10(-11) and 3.7 x 10(-11) m2/s; ii) a critical water content corresponding to the completion of the primary hydration layer, which is in the range 0.11-0.17 w/w, depending on the seed nature; and iii) the activation energy of the main relaxation mechanism, found to be equal to 0.54 +/- 0.05 eV. Moreover, they make it possible to investigate the dependence of various parameters (conductivity, molecular mobility, plasticizing effect of water) on the water content of the sample, to follow the crystallization of water in the seeds as a function of temperature and confirm that it is not a reversible process, to study the dehydration process as a function of temperature and time, and to propose an alternative technique for the determination of the moisture content in seeds.