Water exchange in plant tissue studied by proton NMR in the presence of paramagnetic centers.

The proton NMR relaxation of water in maize roots in the presence of paramagnetic centers, Mn2+, Mn- EDTA2 -, and dextran-magnetite was measured. It was shown that the NMR method of Conlon and Outhred (1972, Biochem. Biophys. Acta. 288:354-361) can be applied to a heterogenous multicellular system, and the water exchange time between cortical cells and the extracellular space can be calculated. The water exchange is presumably controlled by the intracellular unstirred layers. The Mn- EDTA2 - complex is a suitable paramagnetic compound for complex tissue, while the application of dextran-magnetite is probably restricted to studies of water exchange in cell suspensions. The water free space of the root and viscosity of the cells cytoplasm was estimated with the use of Mn- EDTA2 -. The convenience of proton NMR for studying the multiphase uptake of paramagnetic ions by plant root as well as their transport to leaves is demonstrated. A simple and rapid NMR technique (spin-echo recovery) for continuous measurement of the uptake process is presented.