RARE-EARTH ELEMENTS AND PLANT-GROWTH .3. RESPONSES OF CORN AND MUNGBEAN TO LOW CONCENTRATIONS OF CERIUM IN DILUTE, CONTINUOUSLY FLOWING NUTRIENT SOLUTIONS
E. Diatloff et al., RARE-EARTH ELEMENTS AND PLANT-GROWTH .3. RESPONSES OF CORN AND MUNGBEAN TO LOW CONCENTRATIONS OF CERIUM IN DILUTE, CONTINUOUSLY FLOWING NUTRIENT SOLUTIONS, Journal of plant nutrition, 18(10), 1995, pp. 1991-2003
Corn (Zea mays cv. Hycorn 82) and mungbean (Vigna radiata cv. Berken)
plants were grown for 16 d in dilute nutrient solutions containing con
stant cerium (Ce) concentrations from 0 to 1.31 mu M. Corn root growth
was increased approx. 2 fold at Ce concentrations 0.63 mu M. However,
the total dry matter production of corn was not significantly increas
ed by Ce addition. With mungbean, the addition of as little as 0.19 mu
M Ce to the nutrient solution caused significant reductions in the dr
y weight of root (26%), shoot (48%) and total plant (44%). The younges
t leaves of mungbean plants in the treatments containing 0.63 mu M Ce
displayed symptoms of manganese (Mn) deficiency. These leaves containe
d deficient Mn concentrations (5 mg/kg). Tissue concentrations of othe
r nutrients in mungbean and all essential elements in corn were within
ranges where healthy growth would be expected. The concentrations of
Ce measured in the roots and shoots of mungbean were higher than in co
rn. Roots of both species accumulated much higher concentrations of Ce
than the shoots. Cerium accumulated in the oldest leaves of both plan
t species. These patterns of distribution were similar to those report
ed previously for lanthanum.