Plant Uptake of Iron Chelated by Humic Acids of Different Molecular Weights

Abstract

Mobilization of iron (Fe) chelated by humic acids (HA) of low (HA10,000) and high molecular weight (HA100,000) fractions and its uptake by plants were investigated in growth experiments with sunflower seedlings. The iron chelates (labeled with 59Fe) contained in dialysis bags (mw. cutoff=3500) were placed in minus iron Hoagland solutions as the Fe source and at the same time fulvic acid (FA), EDTA, and low and high molecular weight HA fractions were added in the solutions as mobilizators. Characterization of FA, HA10,000, and HA100,000 were performed by infrared spectroscopy and chemical analysis, e.g., total acidity, COOH, and phenolic‐OH content. Roots and leaves were harvested, dried, and ground for Fe activity determination. Iron contents and pH in the nutrient solutions were measured before and after treatments. The supply of Fe to the plants was apparently sufficient, because no Fe deficiency has been detected in the test plants but during the whole absorption period, the pH of the nutrient solution was about 4.5. The Fe contents in leaves indicated that part of the Fe was rapidly transported from roots to leaves. Judging from the Fe contents in leaves, it was assumed that the small size HA10,000 and EDTA were the most efficient in affecting transport of Fe from root to leaf tissue. FA, HA10,000, and especially HA100,000 were unable to penetrate the dialysis bags and, hence, were effective in Fe mobilization only after the Fe, dissociated from the Fe‐HA chelate, has passed the dialysis membrane into the nutrient solutions. In contrast, the small size EDTA was expected to have penetrated the dialysis bags, permitting mobilization of chelated Fe by ligand exchange inside the bags, and transporting the Fe to the roots. The results suggested that the humic substances used in this study were able to form with the Fe3+ ion complexes that maintained the iron available to the sunflower plants. In the chemical form of Fe.L, where L was FA o HA, the iron within the bags or in solution or in the roots free space, was available for exchange reactions with the natural sunflower plant chelators for its transport to the leaves.