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Oxygen Uptake by Corn Roots in Flowing and Stirred Solution Cultures 1
Author(s) -
ZandstraBlom M.,
BenAsher J.,
Gale J.
Publication year - 1981
Publication title -
agronomy journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.752
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1435-0645
pISSN - 0002-1962
DOI - 10.2134/agronj1981.00021962007300030028x
Subject(s) - aeration , steady state (chemistry) , flux (metallurgy) , chemistry , mass flux , thermodynamics , flow (mathematics) , volumetric flow rate , oxygen , mechanics , analytical chemistry (journal) , mathematics , physics , chromatography , organic chemistry
A model incorporating the mechanism of the O 2 uptake process as described by the Hill equation and mass flow mechanisms is given for both steady‐state and time‐dependent cases. The two versions of the model were used to study O 2 uptake. Computed results of the steady‐state model indicated that the higher the water flux density the less O 2 depletion there was in relation to distance from the aeration point. The hypothesis raised by these theoretical results is that availability of O 2 in aqueous media may be influenced by water flux density. The objectives of this research were therefore to test the above hypothesis experimentally and to compare measured and calculated results with the time‐dependent model. The experiments were based on a hydroponic system with corn plants ( Zea mays , ‘Jubilee’) placed on flowing plates. At a certain point air was pumped continuously. Measurements of O 2 concentration as a function of distance from this point were taken at various velocities. The test of the second model was made in a container with a stirred‐solution culture. Calculated and experimental results for the steady‐state model agreed with each other and suggested that the flow rate of the solution is an important factor in controlling O 2 concentration along the channels. For a homogenous solution (i.e., O 2 concentration which is not affected by the distance from the aerated point), the time‐dependent version of this model gave satisfactory results when compared to measured values on a quantitative basis. Qualitatively, however, the agreement was not so good.