Alicja Szatanik-Kloc

Decrease in variable charge and acidity of root surface under Al treatment are correlated with Al tolerance of cereal plants

Shooting stage roots of cereal plants varying in Al tolerance: rye (Secale L.), triticale (Triticale), barley (Hordeum L.) and four wheat (Triticum L.) varieties grown at pH 7 (controls) and stressed during 10 days at pH 4 with aluminium concentrations ranging from 0 to 40 mg dm−3 were back titrated with NaOH. Back-titration data were used for estimation of variable surface charge vs. pH dependencies and apparent surface dissociation constants distribution functions. Roots grown at pH 4 without Al addition had apparently the same charge properties as the control roots. With the increase of the concentration of the aluminium treatment, the variable surface charge of the roots decreased, beginning at 5 mg Al dm−3 for barley, at 10 mg Al dm−3 for wheat and triticale (20 mg Al dm−3 for acid resistant wheat Inia), and at 40 mg Al dm−3 for rye, and a weakening of root surface acidity was deduced from the decrease in average surface dissociation constant of the root surface. The latter was connected with an increase of the relative number of weakly acidic surface sites and a simultaneous decrease in surface groups of medium and strong acidity. During Al stress the density of variable surface charge of the roots decreased markedly. Changes in surface charge properties of Al-tolerant species were less intensive than for Al-sensitive ones.

Aluminium-induced changes in the surface and micropore properties of wheat roots: a study using the water vapor adsorption-desorption technique

The geometric and energetic characteristics of root surfaces of two wheat (Triticum L.) varieties, Al tolerant (Inia 66/16) and Al sensitive (Henika), were estimated from experimental water vapor adsorption–desorption data. Roots stressed for around 1 week at pH 4 without and with a toxic aluminium level (0.741 mol m−3) were studied at the tillering and shooting stages. Roots grown continuously at pH 7 were taken as control. The surface properties of the pH 4 stressed roots were apparently the same as those of the control roots whatever the root age. For the roots of both varieties, the surface area and total micropore volume increased markedly after aluminium treatment. The average micropore radius increased significantly for the sensitive wheat, whereas it increased only slightly for the resistant one. Under Al treatment the number of large pores increased while small pores were fewer for both plants, indicating a possible alteration of the build-up of root tissue. The root surface pores were fractal. The fractal dimension of the sensitive wheat roots decreased under Al treatment, whereas for the resistant wheat this remained apparently unchanged. The adsorption energy distribution functions had different shapes for the sensitive and the resistant wheat varieties: the sensitive variety had greater number of high energy adsorption centers, which implies that the root tolerance on Al stress may be connected with lower polarity of the surface.

Changes in specific area and energy of root surface of cereal plants in Al-solution cultures. Water vapor adsorption studies

Surface areas and energetic properties of the shooting stage roots of rye (Secale L.), triticale (Triticale), barley (Hordeum L.) and four wheat (Triticum L.) varieties were estimated from experimental water vapor adsorption data. Roots stressed during 10 days at pH 4 with aluminium concentrations ranging from 0 to 40 mg dm−3 were studied. Roots grown continuously at pH 7 were taken as controls. The surface properties of the roots grown at pH 4 without Al addition were apparently the same as those of the control roots. With the increase of the concentration of the aluminium treatment the surface area of the roots increased for all of the plants, beginning at 5 mg Al dm−3 for barley, at 10 mg Al dm−3for wheat and triticale, and at 40 mg Al dm−3 for rye. The average water vapor adsorption energy of the root surface decreased in general with the increase of Al stress concentration for all plants but triticale, for which this increased. The sensitive cereal varieties seem to have greater amount of high energy adsorption centers (more polar surface) than the resistant ones (lower surface polarity), however more data is needed to justify this hypothesis. For Al-sensitive roots, fraction of high energy adsorption sites decreased and fraction of low energy sites increased under the Al stress. Smaller changes in adsorption energy sites were noted for roots of Al-resistant plants.

Effect of pH and aluminum on surface properties of barley roots as determined from water vapor adsorption

Water vapor adsorption isotherms were used for the estimation of surface areas and adsorption energy distribution functions of roots of barley grown at different pH levels and at a toxic Al level (10 mg·dm−3), induced at tillering and shooting stages of plants growth. Values of surface area as well as energy distributions were the same for the roots grown at all pH values studied: 2, 4 and 7 and not dependent on the age of the plants indicating that the protons do not alter the physicochemical build-up of the surface of roots. However, significant changes of the root surface properties under the influence of aluminum: increase of surface area, average adsorption energy and amount of highly energetic adsorption sites together with a decrease of low energetic sites were observed.

Application of adsorption methods to determine the effect of pH and Cu-stress on the changes in the surface properties of the roots

Abstract Rye plants were grown in a nutrient solution prepared according to Hoagland for 2 weeks at pH 7, next for 14 days at pH 4.5 (without Cu+2) and in the presence of 20, 50, or 100 mg dm-3 copper ions. The control plants were grown continuously at pH 7. The physicochemical surface properties of the roots were examined using two adsorbates - polar (water vapour) and non-polar (nitrogen). The surface properties of the roots grown at pH 4.5 without Cu+2 were apparently the same as those of controls. The roots of rye which grew in the presence of Cu+2 were characterized by lower (relative to controls) specific surface area values. Statistically significant differences in the size of the apparent surface area (determined by water vapour) were reported for roots incubated with copper ions at a concentration of 20 and 50 mg dm-3. The average water vapour adsorption energy of the root surface decreased under the stress conditions. There were no statistically significant differences for the free surface area and characteristic energy of nitrogen adsorption.

The role of cell walls and pectins in cation exchange and surface area of plant roots

We aimed to assess role of cell walls in formation of cation exchange capacity, surface charge, surface acidity, specific surface, water adsorption energy and surface charge density of plant roots, and to find the input of the cell wall pectins to the above properties. Whole roots, isolated cell walls and the residue after the extraction of pectins from the cell walls of two Apiaceae L. species (celeriac and parsnip) were studied using potentiometric titration curves and water vapor adsorption - desorption isotherms. Total amount of surface charge, as well as the cation exchange capacity were markedly higher in roots than in their cell walls, suggesting large contribution of other cell organelles to the binding of cations by the whole root cells. Significantly lower charge of the residues after removal of pectins was noted indicating that pectins play the most important role in surface charge formation of cell walls. The specific surface was similar for all of the studied materials. For the separated cell walls it was around 10% smaller than of the whole roots, and it increased slightly after the removal of pectins. The surface charge density and water vapor adsorption energy were the highest for the whole roots and the lowest for the cell walls residues after removal of pectins. The results indicate that the cell walls and plasma membranes are jointly involved in root ion exchange and surface characteristics and their contribution depends upon the plant species.

Changes in the size of the apparent surface area and adsorption energy of the rye roots by low pH and the presence of aluminium ions induced

Abstract The plant reactions on Al-stress include i.a. change of the surface area of the roots, which in the physicochemistry of plants characterizes the transport of water and ions through the root. The object of this study is the specific surface area of the roots of plants which are tolerant to aluminium, such as rye. Plants of rye were grown in a nutrient solution for 14 days at pH 4.5 in the presence of Al3+ ions of concentration 10, 20, and 40 mg dm−3. The control plants were grown continuously at pH 7 or pH 4.5 without Al3+. The apparent surface area and adsorption energy of the plants roots were determined from water vapour adsorption – desorption data. The apparent surface area of roots growing in the aluminium was (with respect to control) statistically significantly lower. There were no statistically significant differences in the apparent surface area of the roots which grew in pH 7, pH 4.5 without Al3+. The average water vapour adsorption energy of the root surface, under stress conditions decreased. In the roots grown in the presence of Al+3, there was a slight decrease in high energy adsorption centres and an increase in the amount of low-energy centres.

Effect of pH and zinc stress on micropore system of rye roots

Effect of pH and zinc stress on micropore system of rye roots After zinc stress the total micropore volume decreased remarkably while the average micropore radius increased remarkably for the rye roots. Pore size distribution functions of the roots after the additional zinc application showed the decrease of the small micropore fraction from ca 2 to 10 nm and the increase of the large micropore from ca 22 to 50 nm. The root surface pores were fractal. After the stress pore fractal dimension increased. The changes of the microporosity observed in the roots surface can be related to the high content of zinc in the cell wall and/or due to the shortage of Ca+2 the intercellular spaces particularly in the tissues of seminal cortex of the studied roots might have grown.

Input of different kinds of soluble pectin to cation binding properties of roots cell walls

It is widely believed that pectin are responsible for the vast majority of cation binding positions in the root cell walls. To estimate the role of particular kinds of pectin, we studied the cell wall material isolated from the roots of monocots (wheat and rye) and dicots (clover and lupine) before and after removal of different fractions of soluble pectin. Simultaneously PME activity and degree of pectin methylation were determined. From potentiometric titration curves cation exchange capacity, total surface charge and acidic strength of surface functional groups responsible for surface charging were determined. Monocots had smaller cation exchange capacity and lower pectin content than dicots. Removal of pectin induced up to 50% reduction in the cell walls surface charge. Pectin seem to have more acidic character than the other roots components that is seen from an increase in very weakly acidic groups fraction and significant decrease in the average dissociation constant of the cell walls material after pectin removal. Water soluble pectin and non-pectic soluble compounds had the dominant role in surface charging, while chelator and diluted alkali soluble pectin contributed to surface charge only at high pHs.