COMPARATIVE-STUDY ON THE UPTAKE OF SR-85 FROM NUTRIENT SOLUTIONS AND POTTED SOILS BY LETTUCE

The relation between strontium-85 uptake by young lettuce plants and soil solution composition is discussed. Uptake from soils is furthermore compared to the uptake from nutrient solutions. A close relationship is shown to exist between the concentration of Sr in the plant and the Sr/Ca ratio in the solution, either in the nutrient medium or in the soil solution. The activity of the other ions in solution is shown to have only minor effects on the uptake of Sr. Results are discussed in the context of the hypothesis that the soil liquid phase is the environment from which plants primarily withdraw their nutrients. © 1990 Kluwer Academic Publishers.