The effect of mineral salts from soil solution on the water status and growth of barley seedlings

Linear relationships between the rate of water adsorption, as determined by the intensity of relative guttation G(rel). and the relative length of see dlings (L-rel), on one hand, and the concentration of soil solutions and th eir osmotic pressure, on the other hand, were found in potted experiments w ith barley seedlings on soddy-podzolic soil salinized with sodium, potassiu m, calcium, and magnesium chlorides and sulfates. Sodium chloride exhibited the highest inhibiting effect on the guttation of seedlings; sodium sulfat e had the lowest effect. The capillary-sorptive pressure inhibited guttatio n to a greater extent than the osmotic pressure. The water status of plant cells and tissues, as well as the growth of plants, is not an unambiguous f unction of the osmotic pressure or soil solutions, but it depends on the sp ecific toxic effect of different cations and anions.