Influence of aluminum on the uptake of various cations from a solution into carrots

The influence of A1 on the absorption of various elements by a carrot (U.S. harumakigosun) was investigated using a multitracer technique. An uptake experiment was conducted within the range of 0.0-2.0 ppm AlCl₃ in culture solution. By the addition of AlCl₃, uptake of elements such as Be, V, Zn and rare earth elements (REE) into roots was increased. For Be and V an approximately three-fold increase was observed. The degree of uptake enhancement of nonessential elements by AlCl₃ was generally very high, whereas some of the essential or beneficial elements exhibited a decrease in uptake with the increase of AlCl₃ concentration. This suggests that the uptake of nonessential elements might be increased through transporters with decreased selectivity due to Al. From the viewpoint of the acid rain problem, it is suggested that one of the detrimental effects of Al on plants is the imbalanced elemental absorption.