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Characterization of fluoride uptake by roots of tea plants (Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze)

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Abstract

Backgrounds and aims

Tea plants (Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze) accumulate high fluoride in the leaves whereas the mechanism on its uptake is poorly understood. The measured F− uptake was compared to calculated uptake from transpiration rates assumuing no discrimination between F− and water to characterize the property of F− absorption by tea plant roots.

Methods

The F− uptake was examined by depletion method under variable external F− concentrations, pH, temperature, relative air humidity, anion channel blockers and metabolism inhibitors in solution experiments.

Results

Measured F− uptake rates were significantly larger than those calculated from transpiration rates regardless of external F− concentrations, uptake durations, relative humidity, and solution pH. The measured and net F− uptake (subtracting that calculated from transpiration rate from the measured uptake) were reduced by low temperature and inhibited by anion channel and metabolism inhibitors anthracene-9-carboxylic acid (A-9-C), niflumic acid (NFA), and carbonylcyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone (CCCP) but not by dihydro-4, 4′ diisothiocyanostilbene-2, 2′-disulphonic acid (DIDS). The F− uptake showed biphasic response patterns, following saturable Michaelis–Menten kinetics in the range of low external F− (below 100 μmol L−1) while increased linearly with external supply in the range of high concentrations.

Conclusion

The uptake of F− by roots of accumulator tea plants was likely an active process and energy-dependent. This helps to explain why tea plants are able to accumulate considerably high F−.

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Acknowledgments

The work was supported by the Research Foundation for Natural Sciences of Zhejiang Province (R050807) and the Ministry of Agriculture of China through the Earmarked Fund for China Agriculture Research System (Project No. CARS 23).

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Author notes

  1. Lei Zhang

    Present address: Tea Research Institute of Fujian Provincial Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Fuan, Fujian, 355015, China

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Tea Research Institute of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences and the Key Laboratory for Plant Biology and Resource Application of Tea, The Ministry of Agriculture, Southern Meiling Road 9, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310008, China

    Lei Zhang, Qiong Li, Lifeng Ma & Jianyun Ruan

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  1. Lei Zhang
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  2. Qiong Li
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  3. Lifeng Ma
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Correspondence to Jianyun Ruan.

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Responsible Editor: Hans Lambers.

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Zhang, L., Li, Q., Ma, L. et al. Characterization of fluoride uptake by roots of tea plants (Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze). Plant Soil 366, 659–669 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-012-1466-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-012-1466-2

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