CO2 on the roots

[SpeesCees]

Why a plant can absorb CO2 through its drinking roots is a very up-to-date question. Measure your medium in the dark hours and you will find CO2 put off by the plant after the photosynthesis has stopped. Measure again when the lights are on for half an hour and you will see that the CO2 has disappeared. Healthy plants with a good conductivity can take up extra CO2 and convert it into growing materials. For the experienced growers there will be a laboratory report here online in the near future to justify this thesis in a scientific way. (done in the mean time)
Check it out for yourself and ask for the REAL No Mercy Supply CO2-tabs !

Source : No Mercy Seeds

 

[SpeesCees]

Re: CO2 on the roots- part 1

Kursanov, A.L. , Kuzin A.M. and Mamul, Y.V. 1951.

On the possibility for assimilation by plants of carbonates taken in with the soil solution.
Doklady Akademii Nauk SSSR 79: 685-687

ON THE POSSIBILITY FOR ASSIMILATION BY PLANTS OF CARBONATES TAKEN IN WITH THE SOIL SOLUTION

Since the invention of green plants assimilation of CO2 more than 170 years (1) have gone. In space of this period among a great amount of literary works, which appeared in connection to this problem, the most numerous were the works, dedicated to the definition of the intensity of plant photosynthesis depending on the outside and inside conditions. On this way the biologists and agronomists aspired to form a conception of the productivity of the plants, they cultivated, and to find out the methods for its future increase. However in all these works much attention is paid to the assimilation of CO2 of oxygen and in consequently to the process of getting the notion "air nutrition" of the plants.
Meanwhile, many kinds of soil, especially carbonate soil, have a great amount of free and bound carbonic acid, that may be probably, absorbed by the plant roots together with a soil solution. In account of the fact, that the water motion in the plant, caused by the transpiration, is performed towards the leaves, and at that takes place especially in the day time, we can expect, that the carbonate acid solution, going from the soil to the leaves through the root age, is assimilated by the plant, just like the other, that diffuses in the leaves from the air.
The specific gravity of each of these CO2 sources will change depending on the conditions. But, undoubtedly, in a number of cases the carbonic acid introduction through the root may become the vital source of carbon for the plants.
Unfortunately, the researchers almost didn't study this second way of CO2 entering the plants. As a result, today we have only single observations, herewith they are still deficient to cover widely the side of this phenomenon. (2-7)
Whereas, it's expected, that the extra carbon acid feeding of the plants through the roots especially by the agriculture with artificial irrigation, will increase greatly the plant productivity. It is indeed very interesting now because of the large irrigation systems construction, owing to which the specific gravity of the agriculture with artificial irrigation in the USSR considerably rise.
Under these considerations, we undertook this research, using the modern isotope methods, and tried to establish the fact of CO2, entering the plant through the roots, and also to define the possibility of its assimilation by the green plant by the light. The experiments are to reveal the specific gravity of the CO2 source in the plant feeding.
For our research of carbon utilization from the carbonates of the soil solutions we used Knop's feeding solution, which consisted of sodium bicarbonate with C14. The total amount of bicarbonate was 0.2%. The amount of radio active carbon was rather small. Such amount was taken on purpose, it was for the plants not to be exposed. Therefore 10 ml of feeding solution contained only 0,5 µC.
We took 30-day haricot (phaseolus vulgaris) for the research. We put the plant roots into a wide test tube with the feeding solution so that the stem almost at the bottom went through the plug, which hermitically locked up the tube.
Owing which there was no way for the radio active CO2 to the atmosphere in which the stem and the leaves were. The plant was placed under the lamps of 300 Watt, the distance between the plant and the lamps is 20 sm. After the three hour under the lamps one leaf was removed, and in 18 hours he research was over. We had washed the plant out in the running water for 10 minutes, after which we dried it by laying it between the filter paper sheets.
According to the results of the autoradiography we got the following scheme, shown on the picture 1 (see the attachment).
On the autoradiography results it is understood that all parts of the plant contain the radio active carbon: The greater amount of it is in the stem, and the less- is in the leaf. The leaf, torn in 3 hours after the research had been started, didn't contain any carbon. To define the magnitude determination the leaf, the stem and the root were separately pounded and the relative activity was determined on the end window counter (we took 10 mg of tissue on the disk with the radius of 2 sm). Having the purpose to determine what part of the radiation was induced by the absorbed carbonates, we heated the tissues together with the 10% of hydrochloric acid, then we dried it in vacuum and again tested their activity. The results of this process are shown in table 1.

Table 1:

Activity ИMII / MИH HA 10 mg / Tissue
Before HC1 treatment After the HC1 treatment
The leaf after 3 hours under the lamps 56 44
Leaf 18 292 279
The stem after 18 hours under the lamps 3246 2969
Stem 18 1463 1407

As it seen, the quantity of assimilated carbon in the stems (the stems, we took, are rich of chlorophyll) is twice larger than the quantity in the roots, herewith these amounts will not change if we use the hydrochloric acid. This points to the transformation of the carbonates into the non-volatile organic substances. We had to show, that the absorbed ions CO3 were utilized by the plant the same way as CO2 of atmosphere, that is they took part in photosynthesis. For this we repeated our experiments, at that one plant had been lighted for 10 hours, and another plant had been kept in the dark. The auto radiographies of this plants are represented on pictures 2 and 3.
This auto radiographies show that during the period of 10 hours the absorbed carbonates are not disclosed in the dark in the stem, but by the light the carbonates are saved in the tissues of the green stem, at that carbon here is discovered higher in the stem, where the stem is of green colour. The dependence of the CO3 disclose on the photosynthesis is observed more clearly in the following experiment, where the plant with its roots in the nutrient solution, containing carbonates with marked carbon, had been in light for 5 hours, then the half of the leaf was taken and was tested. After this the plant had been in the dark for the whole night and then the second part of the leaf was found and the plant had been lighted for 3 hours and only after this the whole plant was found. The received auto radiographies are on picture 4.
As it is seen from the auto radiographies, after the 5 hours of light the carbonates didn't come to the leaves yet. And as it goes from the previous experiment, they are энергично фиқсируются by the green stem. For the night of being in the dark the carbonates are built up in the leaf- the amount of them is still rather little. But we can already see the feedle stamp of the half of the leaf. The further lighting runs to the active assimilation of the absorbed carbonates, that is distinctly seen by the intense radiation of the third leaf. Just to become certain that the поступившие through the roots carbonates are assimilated by the plant the same way CO2 is, that is they turn to the carbohydrates, we isolated them from the plant, being given of labelled carbon through the roots for 24 hours. The pounded dries plant (the stem and the leaf) had been boiled for 30 minutes with 1N of hydrochloric acid. The received muriatic extract was run through the anionite and cation to eliminate the acids and the bases, then was concentrated in vacuum and to this solution 100 mg of chemical glucose, as a carrier, was added. After glucose had been dissolved, it was precipitated with phenyl hydrazine. Precipitation of osazone looking like bunches of needles, was isolated, flushed up and recrystallized from the aqueous alcohol. Its activity is 112 imp/min. (10 mg on the disk of diameter 2 sm). Osazone had been recrystallized from the aqueous alcohol for 5 times. The activity was 100 imp/min under the same conditions. Osazone activity points out the activity of carbohydrates, that is the formation of the carbohydrates from the carbonates, given to the plant through the roots.
The conducted experiment showed, that the carbonates of the soil solutions may be assimilated as much as CO2 of the air is.

The Institute of Biochemistry of A.N. Bakh and the laboratory of biophysics and isotones and radiance of the Academy of Sciences of USSR.

Literature

1 J. Ingen-Housz, Experiments upon Vegetables, London, (1779)
2 M. Bergamaschi, Atti Institude Bot. University. Pavia, 4,1,117 (1929)
3 E.A. Livingston and R. Bealf, Plant Physiology, 9, 237, (1934)
4 O. Overkott, Zs. F. Gesamt, Naturwiss., 3, 480 (1938)
5 O. Hartel, Jahrb. Wiss. Bot., 87, 173 (1939)
6 V. Kudrevich, Sov. Bot., 1, 70 (1940)
7 R. Overstreet, S. Ruben and T. Broyer, Proc. Natton. Academy of Sciences, 26, 688 (1940)

 

[SpeesCees]

Re: CO2 on the roots- part 2

CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY
OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION


Doklady Akademii Nauk SSSR
1951. Vol. 79, No 4

PHISIOLOGY OF PLANTS

A.L. Kursanov, A.M. Kuzin and Y.V. Mamul

ON THE POSSIBILITY FOR ASSIMILATION OF CARBONATES BIJ PLANTS TAKEN IN WITH THE SOIL SOLUTION

It has been 170 years since the discovery of CO2 assimilation of green plants. (1)
Since then numerous articles connected to this problem have appeared, most of them regarding the effects of inside and outside conditions on the intensity of plant photosynthesis.
It was by these means that biologists and agronomists increased insight in the productivity of the plants they cultivated, and found methods for the increase of this productivity.
In many of these works much attention has been paid tot the fixation of CO2 and consequently to the entire process of air nutrition” of plants.
Meanwhile, many kinds of soil, especially carbonate soil, have a great amount of free and bound carbonic acid that may be probably by the plant roots together with a soil solution.

In account of the fact, tat the water motion in the plant, caused by the transpiration, is performed towards the leaves, and that this process takes place especially in the day time, we can assimilated by the plant, just like the other, that diffuses in the leaves from the air.

The specific gravity of each of these CO2 sources will change depending on the conditions. But, undoubtedly, in a number of cases the carbonic acid introduction through the root may become the vital source of carbon for the plants.
Unfortunately, the researchers almost didn’t study this second way of CO2 entering the plants.
As a result, today we only have single observations, and this phenomenon stays widely unexplored. (2-7)
Whereas, it’s expected, that the extra carbon acid feeding of the plants through the roots, especially by the agriculture with artificial irrigation, will greatly increase the plant productivity.
Nowadays this is indeed very interesting because of the rise of large irritation systems constructions, and the specific importance of agriculture with artificial irrigation in the USSR.
These considerations taken, the following research has been performed, using the modern isotope methods, to investigate whether CO2 can enter the plant through the roots, and also tot define the possibility of its assimilation by the green plant in light. The experiments had the purpose tot reveal the specific importance of CO2 as a source in the plant feeding.
For our research of carbon utilization from the carbonates of the soil solutions we used Knop’s feeding solution, which consisted of sodium bicarbonate with C14. The total amount of bicarbonate was 0,2%. The amount of radio active carbon was rather small. Such amount was taken on purpose- it was for the plants not tot be exposed. Therefore 10 ml of feeding solution contained only 0,5 µC.
30-old day common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) has been used for the research. The plant roots were put into a wide test tube, with the feeding solution, with the stem starting at the plug. Which hermetically locked up the tube. This system excluded the possibility of radioactive CO2 to the atmosphere in which the stem and the leaves were. The plant was placed under the lamps of 300 Watt, with a distance between the plant and the lamps of 20 cm. After a three-hour experiment under the lamps one leaf was removed, and in 18 hours the experiment was over. The plant material has been washed in running water for 10 minutes, after which it was dried in between filter paper sheets.
According tot the results of the autoradiography we obtained the following scheme, shown on the picture 1 (see attachment).
On the autoradiography results it is seen that all parts of the plant contain the radioactive carbon: The greater amount of it is in the stem, and the less is in the leaf. The leaf, which had been removed form the plant, 3 hours after the research had been started, didn’t contain any radioactive carbon. To define the magnitude determination the leaf, the stem and the root were separately pounded and the relative activity was determined on the end-window counter (we took 10 mg of tissue on the disk with the radius of 2 cm). Having the purpose tot determine what part of the radiation was induced by the absorbed carbonates, we heated the tissues together with the 10% of hydrochloric acid, then we dried it in vacuum and again tested their activity. The results of this process are shown in table 1.


As it is seen, the quantity of assimilated carbon in the stems (the stems, which were taken, are rich of chlorophyll) is twice larger than the quantity in the roots, while these amounts will not change if we use the hydrochloric acid. This suggests the transformation of the carbonates non-volatile organic substances. We had tot demonstrate, that the plant used the absorbed CO3- ions in a same manner as CO2 from the atmosphere, ore that they took part in photosynthesis. Therefore we repeated our experiments, at that one plant had been lighted for 10 hours, and another plant had been kept in the dark. The auto radiographies of these plants are represented on pictures 2 and 3.
These auto radiographies demonstrate that during the period of 10 hours the absorbed carbonates are not assimilated in the stem during the dark, but in the light carbonates are stored in the tissues of the green stem, so it’s discovered higher in the stem, where the stem is of green colour, although within the parts without chlorophyll (the stem-part close tot the root), the carbon is not following experiment, where of the CO3- disclose on the photosynthesis is observed more clearly in the marked carbon, had been in light for 5 hours, then the half of the leaf was taken and was tested. After this the plant had been in the dark for the whole night and then the second part of the leaf was found and the plant had been lighted for 3 hours and only after this the whole plant was found. The received auto radiographies are on picture 4.
As it is seen from the auto radigraphies, after the 5 hours of light the carbonates didn’t come to the leaves yet. And as it goes from the previous experiment, they are actively absorbed by the green stem. For the night of being in the dark the carbonates are built up in the leaf- the amount of them is still rather little. But we can already see the feeble stamp of the half of the leaf. The further lighting runs tot the active assimilation of the absorbed carbonates that is distinctly seen by the intense radiation of the third leaf. Just to become certain that the coming through the roots carbonates are assimilated by the plant the same way CO2 is, that is they turn to the carbohydrates, we isolate them from the plant, being given of labelled carbon through the roots for 24 hours. The pounded dried plant (the stem and the leaf) had been boiled for 30 minutes with 1 N of hydrochloric acid. The received muriatic extract was run through the anionite and cation to eliminate the acids and the bases, then was concentrated in vacuum and to this solution 100 mg of chemical glucose, as a carrier, was added. After glucose had been dissolved, it was precipitated with phenylhydrazine. Precipitation of osazone looking like bunches of needles, was isolated, flushed up and recrystallized from the aqueous alcohol. Its activity is 112 imp/min. (10 mg on the disk of diameter 2 cm). Osazone had been recrystallized from the aqueous alcohol for 5 times. The activity was 100 imp/min under the same conditions. Osazone activity points out the activity of carbohydrates, which is the formation of the carbohydrates from the carbonates, given tot the plant trough the roots.
The conducted experiment showed, that the soil carbonates can be assimilated as much as CO2 of the air.

The Institute of Biochemistry of A.N. Bakh and the laboratory of biophysics and isotones and radiance of the Academy of Sciences of USSR.

Literature
1 J. Ingen-Housz, Esperiments upon Vegetables, London, 1779.
2 M. Bergamaxchi, Atti Inst. Bot. Univ. Pavia, 4, 1, 117 (1929).
3 E.A. Livingston and R. Bealf, Plant Physiol., 9, 237, (1934).
4 O. Overkott, Zs. F. Gesamt. Aturwiss., 3, 480 (1938).
5 O. Hartel, Jahrb. Wiss. Bot., 87, 173 (1939).
6 V. Kudrevich, Sov. Bot., 1, 70 (1940).
7 R. Overstreet, S. Ruben and T. Broyer, Proc. Natton. Acad. Of Sciences, 26, 688 (1940)

Still the plants possessed the higher efficiency index (Table 2):
Sugar beet efficiency index depending on CO2 nutrition (average per 1 plant, U- 752stain)


The date of economic parameters increase, given in Table 2, shows, that CO2 nutrition increases the root weight, gain rate and sugar content, but under these conditions the absolute and relative amount of leaves is reduced. It suggests of intensive photosynthesis in assimilation ability in the plants that received CO2 nutrition in comparison with nil treatment samples, providing the larger root weight, but the smaller leaf area (Table 1) and leaves weight (Table 2). It increased the assimilation apparatus efficiency (Table 3).

Reference tot Table 3 shows, that a leaf area unit of the plants, receiving CO2 nutrition, and accounts for larger root weight, than in the nil treatment sample. It was not observed only on the initial stage, probably due to the young age of plants and smaller leaf area, that prevented them from utilizing all the additional carbonic acid, though the assimilated it, as the carbon content in leaves suggests (Table 4).The carbon content was defined by the Turin-Lukashik’s method in middle samples of leaves gathered in the morning (9-12 a.m.), fixed with steam and dried until air-dry condition.


Reference to Table 4 shows, that carbon content in the plants receiving CO2 nutrition, is 7-9% higher than in the nil treatment samples that indicates the better conditions of organic substances synthesis. Only on June, 9 the carbon excess is 30%, probably due to the fact, that the sample included young leaves only (there have been no old ones yet). The entire following test included mainly old leaves, depending on their amount on the plant. The carbon content was checked in leaves as well as in the roots by the same method (Table 5):



Reference to Table 5 shows that the CO2 nutrition has been increased the carbon content in roots as well. The noted increase of leaves photosynthesis influenced the sugar beet crops per hectare (Table 6), (the crops were harvested on October 7-9, 1953).
Reference tot Table 6 shows, that carbonates nutrition has increased the root crops by 16.2 % (85 centres per hectare) and sugar yield by 14.5% (12 centres per hectare) in comparison with the leaves amount and sugar content practically the same as in nil treatment samples. But together with root crops growth, the weight of the crops has significantly reduced during the vegetation period. As a result of CO2 nutrition, the photosynthetic rate of the plants has increased (as demonstrated by the relation of root weight tot leaves weight), the assimilation apparatus area has reduced as well as the leaves weight, while the daily average root gain has increased.
The noted changes of the sugar beet growth dynamics are of particular importance in Latvia, where the leaf area growth and its efficiency in increasing for the whole period of vegetation, being a favourable condition for carbonic acid application, which boost the photosynthesis process.
Thus, the results, received in the 1st year of experiments make it possible to suggest, that carbon nutrition may become an important factor of the sugar beet (and, probably, of other plants) crops growth and can be regulated as well as other nutrition conditions (N, P, K etc).


Presented on March 29, 1954

References:
1. Kursanov A.L., Krukova N.N., Vartapenan B.V., Dokladi Akad. Nauk SSSR. 85, #4 (1952)
2. Kursanov A.L., Kuzin A.M., Mamul J.V., Dokladi Akad. Nauk SSSR, 79, # 4 (1951)
3. Kuzin A.M., Merenova V.I., Mamul J.V., Dokladi Akad. Nauk SSSR, 85, # 3 (1952)
4. Lukashik N.A. TSHA report, 10 (1049)
5. Nicjiporovich A.A. “Breeding and seed forming”, # 2 (1953)
6. Samokhvalov G.K.


PS : The tables will come.