Phosphonates as Unique Components of Plant Seeds—A Promising Approach to Use Phosphorus Profiles in Plant Chemotaxonomy

Abstract

Phosphorus is one of the most important elements essential for all living beings. Plants accumulate and store phosphorous in various forms that have diverse physiological and biochemical functions. In this study, we determine and then examine the phosphorus profiles of seeds of plants belonging to different taxa based on extractable inorganic phosphates and organic forms of phosphorus. We paid particular attention to the presence of natural phosphonates in the tested materials. The inorganic phosphates were determined colorimetrically, whereas phosphorus profiles were created by using 31P NMR spectroscopy. Our study on phosphorus profiles revealed that the obtainedsets of data vary significantly among the representatives of different taxa and were somehow specific for families of plants. It should be emphasised that the measurements obtained using 31P NMR spectroscopy undoubtedly confirmed—for the first time—the presence of phosphonates among the natural components of plant seeds. Hence, the classification of plants considering the phosphorus profiles, including the presence of phosphonates, may be a new additional chemotaxonomic feature.