Sodium as an Essential Micronutrient Element for Atriplex vesicaria, Heward

Sodium as nutrient and toxicant

“…From beet to chocolate: the classic literature-Na + benefits are common It has long been known that Na + can be of benefit to the growth of algae and cyanobacteria (Allen and Arnon 1955;Simonis and Urbach 1963;Brownell and Nicholas 1968), but, for higher plants, the reputation of the ion as a toxic one has held sway (Maathuis 2007;Munns and Tester 2008;Kronzucker and Britto 2011;Cheeseman 2013), and the vast majority of higher-plant literature on the ion has focused on this aspect, even though studies in a wide variety of species, including such important cultivated ones as tomato, potato, carrot, cacao, and cereals, have demonstrated the potential benefit of the ion for higher-plant growth as well (Wheeler and Adams 1905;Lehr 1941;Lehr and Wybenga 1955;Woolley 1957;Williams 1960;Brownell 1965;Brownell and Jackman 1966;Montasir et al 1966;El-Sheikh et al 1967;Hylton et al 1967;Draycott and Durrant 1976;Galeev 1990;Takahashi and Maejima 1998;Gattward et al 2012). It is important to emphasize that every substance has a threshold below which it is not toxic, in accordance with the "sola dosis facit venemum" (only the dose makes the poison) principle, famously attributed to Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim (Paracelsus), but, for Na + , beneficial effects are seen well into the range of concentrations that would be considered high for ordinary nutrient ions, such as NO 3 − , NH 4 + , or K + , and, in the cases of halophytes, go far beyond that (Flowers and Colmer 2008).…”

“…The paradigm that C 4 species benefit particularly substantially, and indeed in many, albeit not all, cases require Na + as an essential nutrient, is now widely accepted (Harmer and Benne 1945;Barbier and Chambannes 1951;Brownell and Wood 1957;Brownell 1965;Alekseev and Abdurakhamanov 1966;Brownell and Jackman 1966;Brownell and Crossland 1972;Marschner 1995;Pessarakli and Marcum 2000;Pessarakli 2001;Subbarao et al 2003). Important exceptions include the leading C 4 crops corn and sorghum, which have been shown not to benefit from Na + addition (Ohta et al 1988;Ohnishi et al 1990;Subbarao et al 2003).…”

Changes During Recovery from Sodium Deficiency in Atriplex

“…'[lie first decisive evidence that sodiumii is an essenitial element for plant growth was obtained by Allen and(l Arnon (1), who showed that small amounts of sodiumil are required by the blue-green alga, A. nabaenia cvlinidrica. Subsequently, it was found that sodium is essential for the angiosperm, Atriplex V'sicaria Heward ex Benth (4,5), and more recently, a simiiilar requirement has been shown in certain other species of Atriplexv (unpublished experiments).…”

Sodium and Rubidium as Possible Nutrients for Sugar Beet Plants

“…Sodium appears to be essential for tihe growth of Atriplex vesicaria (3). With many other plant species beneficial effects of Na on growth have been noted in media high or low in K (10,12,14,16,17).…”