Agronomie 24 (2004) 137-142
DOI: 10.1051/agro:2004012

Aluminium absorption by intact roots of the Al-accumulating plant Camellia sinensis L.

Jianyun Ruan^a and Ming H. Wong<sup>b

a</sup>  Tea Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, and Key Laboratory of Tea Chemistry of the Ministry of Agriculture, Hangzhou 310008, P.R. China
^b  Croucher Institute for Environmental Sciences, and Department of Biology, Hong Kong Baptist University, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong, P.R. China

(Received 5 September 2003; accepted 30 January 2004)

Abstract - Tea (Camellia sinensis L.) is an Al-accumulating plant, taking up a large amount of aluminium (Al). However, information about Al transport into the roots is limited. In the present study, the absorption of Al by intact roots of young tea plants as well as the effects of fluoride, and solution pH were investigated. The absorption of Al by intact tea roots can be described by two phases, a rapid phase in the first 60 min followed by a slower phase for at least 24 h, which is not different from those observed in non-Al-accumulating plants. This pattern remained more or less the same after citric acid desorption for 30 min, being non-linear until the end of the initial 60 min. Absorption of Al was significantly influenced by solution pH, increasing remarkably from pH 3.2 to 4.8. A combined supply of Al and F in the nutrient solution significantly reduced the uptake of Al.

Key words: absorption / aluminium / fluoride / pH / tea

Corresponding author: Ming H. Wong mhwong@hkbu.edu.hk

© INRA, EDP Sciences 2004