Short Term Studies of Nitrate Uptake into Barley Plants Using Ion-Specific Electrodes and 36ClO3−

A computer-controlled multichannel data acquisition system was employed to obtain continuous measurements of net nitrate or chlorate uptake by roots of intact barley plants (Hordeum vulgare cv Betzes) using nitrate-specific electrodes. Plants, previously grown in solutions maintained at 10 or 200 micromolar NO(3) (-) (low N or high N conditions, respectively), were provided with 200 micromolar NO(3) (-) or ClO(3) (-) during the uptake period. Initial rates of NO(3) (-) uptake were several times higher in low N plants than in high N plants. Within 10 min, uptake in the former plants declined to a new steady rate which was sustained for the remainder of the experiment. No such time-dependent changes were evident in the high N plants. Rates and patterns of net chlorate uptake exhibited almost identical dependence upon previous nitrate provision. NO(3) (-) ((36)ClO(3) (-)) influx, by contrast, appeared to be independent of NO(3) (-) pretreatment prior to influx determination. Nitrate efflux, estimated by several different methods, was strongly correlated with internal nitrate concentration of the roots.