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Ionic Balance and Growth of Sixteen Plant Species¹

ABSTRACT

The total concentration of inorganic cations (K⁺, Na⁺, Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺) exceeds the total concentration of inorganic anions (NO₃^-, H₂PO₄^-, SO₄^2-, Cl^-) in most plant tissue, and the difference between the two is an estimate of the organic anion concentration. Previous investigations have shown that vegetative growth of barley with high fertilization rates was regulated to some extent by the organic anion concentration. In this study, 16 plant species were grown in the greenhouse to test the consistency of this relation with different ion accumulation patterns. The inorganic anion content of the plant tissue was varied by applying either SO₄^2- or Cl^- to the soil. All Cl-treated plants had a higher inorganic anion concentration than the SO₄-treated plants. The organic anion concentration in 10 of the plant species was lower in the Cl-treated plants. The lower yield of each plant species was associated with the plants that had the higher total inorganic anion concentration. The results of this study, with one possible exception, are consistent with the concept that reducing the organic anion concentration in plants reduces growth.

¹ Contribution from the Soil and Water Conservation Research Division, ARS, USDA.

² Research Soil Scientist, US Soils Laboratory, Beltsville, Md. Present address, American Potash Inst., Gainesville, Fla.

Received for publication May 16, 1966. Accepted for publication July 21, 1966.