Summary
Methods designed to measure the cation-exchange properties of plant tissues have been reviewed. They depend on the replacement of the exchangeable cations of the tissues by H+, which is then determined directly, or indirectly by exchange for another cation, usually calcium.
A rapid and reproducible method using dried milled plant material has been developed which employs acid-washing followed by titration to pH 7 using a glass electrode. This method has been used successfully for measuring the cation-exchange capacity (C.E.C.) of different tissues of a wide range of higher and lower plants, and gives values which correlate well with their related uronic acid content.
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Crooke, W.M. The measurement of the cation-exchange capacity of plant roots. Plant Soil 21, 43–49 (1964). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01373871
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01373871