Ion Absorption by Shoot Tissue: Technique and First Findings with Excised Leaf Tissue of Corn

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Abstract
The significance of ion absorption by the cells of leaves in the over-all process of plant nutrition is discussed. A technique has been worked out for experiments on ion absorption by leaf tissue of corn. When leaf tissue is cut into discs it fails to absorb at its potential maximal rate because only those cells near the cut edge participate in absorption. When the tissue is cut into slices 300 [mu] wide this limitation is avoided. It was found that the process of cellular absorption of Rb in corn leaf tissue resembles that in excised roots of barley in the following respects: absorption at the concentration used is a linear function of time for at least 1 hour; the accumulation ratio reached in 1 hour, with an external concentration of 0.02 m[image] Rb, is over 250:1, the rate of absorption at 4.5[degree] is 10% or less of the rate at 30[degree]. The findings reported here for absorption of Rb are believed to apply to the absorption of K as well.

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