Mechanism of physiological effects of titanium leaf sprays on plants grown on soil.

Titanium (Ti) has significant biological effects on plants, being beneficial at low and toxic at higher concentrations. From results of our hydroponical experiment with oats, we have recently proposed that the effect called hormesis is the mechanism of Ti action in plants. Here, we present the experiment with oats (Avena sativa L. cv. Zlat'ák) grown on soil where Ti was applied using leaf sprays. Two different soils, three different concentrations of Ti(IV) citrate spray solution (0, 20, and 50 mg Ti/kg), and three different Mg concentrations in each soil were tested. Some physiological parameters (dry and raw weights, top heights, chlorophyll content) and element contents (Mg, Fe, Zn, Mn) were determined. Ti showed considerable effects on all physiological parameters and the element's contents were determined. Differences between the two different soil types used was only in the strength of the effect of Ti; the trends remained unchanged. Generally, the effect of Ti is considerably weaker if Ti is applied on leaves than if being added to the nutrient solution. Thus, we confirm here that the action of Ti on plants could be explained by the hormesis effect.