Tracer experiment using 42K+ and 137Cs+ revealed the different transport rates of potassium and caesium within rice roots

Abstract

The differences in the transport characteristics in planta between potassium (K+) and caesium (Cs+) was investigated using their radionuclides, 42K+ and 137Cs+. A tracer experiment using nutrient solutions supplemented with 42K and 137Cs revealed that the ratio of the root’s K+ uptake rate to its Cs+ uptake rate was 7–11 times higher than the K+ : Cs+ concentration ratio in the solution, and the number was varied depending on the K concentration in the solution and also on the growth condition. After entering through the root tissues, the 42K+ : 137Cs+ ratio in the shoots was 4.28 times higher than the value in the roots. However, the 42K+ : 137Cs+ ratio in each leaf did not differ significantly, indicating that the primary transport of K+ and Cs+ in the shoots are similarly regulated. In contrast, among the radionuclides stored in the roots over 4 h, 30% of the 42K+ was exported from the roots over the following hour, whereas only 8% of 137Cs+ was exported. In addition, within the xylem, K+ was shown to travel slowly, whereas Cs+ passed quickly through the roots into the shoots. In conclusion, our study demonstrated very different transport patterns for the two ions in the root tissues.