ROLE OF ETHER SOLUBLE ORGANIC ACIDS IN THE CATIONANION BALANCE IN PLANTS

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Abstract
12 spp. of plants were grown in solution culture and all received the same nutrient supply. The cation-anion balance in the different spp. was studied. Inorganic ions were taken up in varying proportions according to inherent characteristics of the plant. Plants in the same family tended to accumulate ions in relatively the same proportions. In all of the plants studied, except cantaloupe, there was a large excess of inorganic cations over inorganic anions and this excess was highly correlated with total ether soluble organic acids. In the leaves malic and citric acids showed a rather low positive correlation with soluble Ca. Citric acid and those acids of the unknown group showed a small negative correlation with total Mg content in the stems and petioles. Insoluble oxalates and insoluble Ca were highly correlated when the plants were considered as a group. In 3 cases insoluble oxalic acid exceeded the amt. of insoluble Ca. The data indicate that the additional insoluble oxalic acid was present as Mg oxalate. Those plants with little or no oxalic acid had a large proportion of the Ca in a sap soluble state, while those plants high in oxalic acid had but traces of sap-soluble Ca.