Influence of Mannitol on Absorption and Retention of Rubidium by Excised Corn Roots

Excised root segments of corn were subjected to osmotic stress by immersion in solutions of mannitol before, during, or after a period of Rb absorption. Both the time course of uptake (or loss) and selectivity of uptake were studied. Stress before or during the absorption period reduced Rb absorption to 20 % or less of that of controls, whereas it had no detectable influence on the constancy and selectivity of uptake. Stress imposed following a period of Rb accumulation caused root segments to lose only slightly more Rb than controls during the first 30 min, after which rates of change were insignificant in both. Segments stressed after the Rbabsorption period retained from 70–90 % as much Rb as did the controls, even after two hours. The comparatively great quantitative difference between effect of stress on uptake and its effect on loss is interpreted to mean that the mechanism of stress-induced reduction of ion absorption cannot be adequately explained on the sole basis of increased efflux of ions.