Effects of a Limiting Element on the Absorption of Individual Elements and on the Anion: Cation Balance in Wheat

GeneralThe preferred nitrogenous fertilizer in commercial plantations of pineapples is ammonium sulfate, according to JOHNSON (16). When sulfate of ammonia is used, the ammonium ion is oxidized to nitrate by soil microbiological activity, with an associated increase in soil acidity which renders iron more soluble. At the same time, both ammonium and nitrate ions are generally simultaneously available to the pineapple roots. Sodium nitrate is generally inferior and usually produces an atypical light-green color in leaves and unripe fruit of the pineapple. Wh-en sodium nitrate is used under dry conditions, however, there may be accumulation of sodium bicarbonate in the soil as reported by lr and THOMAS (17) caused by a greater rate of uptake of nitrate than of sodium by roots and by soil microflora, a phenomenon likely to cause precipitation of iron in the soil and associated plant chlorosis. Efficient nitrogen fertilization of pineapple plants depends greatly on an understanding of the interrelation hips of nitrate and ammonium ions with (a) the inorganic nutrient complex of the soil, that is, the relative concentrations of nutrient elements other than NO,-or NH4+;(b) the activities of the microflora in the soil; and (c) shifting of pH values, and changes of temperature and moisture affecting the concentrations of these ions in the soil. It is also important to know the nitrogen requirements of plants at different growth stages on the basis of nitrogen inventories within the soil and plant tissues. This paper reports plant weights attained by one-year-old Ananas comosus grown in solution cultures with 140.0 or 2.8 mg. of nitrogen in nitrate or ammonium form and the content of ash, water, relative electrical resistance, potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and iron in the tissue.

Section: Plant Physiologymentioning

confidence: 99%

EFFECTS OF NITROGEN ON GROWTH AND ASH CONSTITUENTS OF ANANAS COMOSUS (L.) MERR.

Sideris

Young

1946

“…MCCALLA and WOODFORD (30) found that in wheat, limiting the supply of one nutrient resulted in an increased uptake of another nutrient absorbed as an ion of the same sign, or in a decreased total uptake of the nutrients as ions of the opposite sign. In the present experiment the absorption of individual and total anions was affected very little by the treatments.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although relatively high concentrations of sodium were supplied (table I) absorption of this element was very low compared to that of the other cations. This is particularly evident when it is considered that the solution concentration of sodium in series 2 was higher (30) utilized this method in their study of effects of limiting one element in wheat. In the present experiment the number of comparisons can be increased to inelude the K3 and NaK3 treatments at the first harvest and all treatments at the second harvest.…”

Section: Mineral Contentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Potassium Deficiency and Excess in Guayule I. Growth Responses and Mineral Content

Cooil¹

1948

The extensive literature dealing with the role of potassium in plant metabolism has been reviewed by HOFFER (20), by various authors (47) in a recent symposium and in several reviews on mineral nutrition of plants (11,17,18,28,39,46). Very recently SIDERIS and YOUNG (42,43,44) have dealt with several aspects of the problem. HOAGLAND (19) has pointed out that at one time or another a role in almost every important physiological process in the plant has been ascribed to potassium. Yet, the mechanism of its role in any specific process has not been elucidated.In several respects the guayule plant, Parthenium argentatum A. Gray, differs from most of the plants which have been subjected to detailed nutritional study. For example, incidence of the reproductive phase in guayule is not attended by cessation of vegetative growth nor by curtailed nutrient absorption. This behavior is contrasted with that of many annual plants, for which a period of rapid growth and mineral absorption is terminated by the reproductive phase. NIGHTINGALE et al. (31) found that a deficiency of potassium in tomato plants induced premature fruiting. The result was withdrawal of a large portion of the potassium from the vegetative parts to the fruits. RICHARDS and TEMPLEMAN (40) found that for the barley plant potassium deficiency resulted in continued tillering and failure of plants to head. The sodium content of the nutrient solutions appears to be a factor associated with the latter result (39). No effects analogous to the premature fruiting of tomato plants or to the retarded heading of barley plants are evident for guayule moderately deficient in potassiuim. The use of guayule plants in a study of potassium nutrition, therefore, has the advantage of permitting comparison between plants which are in different nutritional states, without complications of premature or delayed incidence of the reproductive phase.

“…This late increase in calcium intake was associated with a distinct gain in nitrogen content of the plants (3). In the -Ca series it was noted that with low intake of calcium there was a higher absorption rate of magnesium (17), but not of potassium.…”

Section: Tissue Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

“…4) was also associated with an increased intake of magnesium and phosporus (24,25). When plants in the -K series reached the fruiting stage, however, a potassium deficiency had developed and the intake of calcium had increased appreciably (tables VIII and IX) (2, 17,25). This late increase in calcium intake was associated with a distinct gain in nitrogen content of the plants (3).…”

Section: Tissue Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

Growth Responses of Tomato to Nutrient Ions Adsorbed on a Pumice Substrate

McIlrath

1950

IntroductionPreliminary research with natural pumice (18,23) has indicated that it might be a useful and inexpensive substrate in experiments on the mineral nutrition of plants. Appreciable surface activity appears to be associated with the high porosity of pumice. An experiment was undertaken to determine the availability to roots of specific elements held on different lots of pumice each of which had been immersed in a single salt solution. This investigation was designed to trace plant growth during the progressive diminution of an individual nutrient element in the substrate, the entire quantity of which wlas initially supplied in an adsorbed state on the pumice, in the presence of a nutrient solution containing all other essential ions in a soluble form and supplied at a uniform rate.