Availability of anions in the growth medium to roots of an activily growing plant

Analysis of anion transport to the root of an actively growing plant with a normally dense root system showed that virtually the whole of the anion store in the rooting zone is available to the plant within a few days at the most. Transport by diffusion only is enough to account for most of the depletion, but mass flow will speed up the process. The effect of mass flow will be considerable in soils with a high dispersion coefficient (loess), but very small in soils with a low dispersion coefficient (clay and sand). A rule is proposed to determine whether a given root density is sufficient to supply the nitrogen and water needs of the plant by diffusion only. (Abstract retrieved from CAB Abstracts by CABI’s permission)