Estimation of potassium recirculation in tomato plants by comparison of the rates of potassium and calcium accumulation in the tops with their fluxes in the xylem stream.

A procedure to estimate the extent of K recirculation in plants is proposed. This is based on the ratio of the upward fluxes of K to Ca in the xylem sap from root to shoot with the ratio of K to Ca accumulation in plant tops.In a preliminary investigation the factors influencing the K to Ca ratio in the xylem sap were considered. Tomato plants were grown at three levels of K nutrition and harvested at different times during the 24-hour day period. It was shown that the K to Ca ratio in xylem sap changed dramatically depending on the time of sap collection after decapitation, the values falling from over 2 to less than unity over the 4-hour period of collection. Diurnal effects on exudation were less marked but also of significance. The level of K nutrition was of little importance. It is suggested that a representative xylem sap from tomato plants can best be obtained from samples taken between 15 and 60 minutes after decapitation.In a second experiment K recirculation was estimated. At nine harvesting stages over a 24-hour period the K to Ca ratio in the xylem sap was invariably higher than the K to Ca ratio of accumulation in the tops over the same period. From this information it was calculated that about 20% of the upward flux of K in the xylem stream resulted from recirculated K.