Skip to main content
ARS Home » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #81408
Title: WATER EXTRACTION OF PLANT TISSUES FOR ANALYSIS BY ION CHROMATOGRAPHY

Author
item Russo, Vincent
item KARMARKAR, S - LACHAT INSTRUMENTS

Submitted to: Communication in Soil Science Plant Analysis
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/20/1997
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Ion chromatography is used to make fertilizer recommendations and to evalu- ate plant health or effects of treatments on plant development. Acids are generally used during the extraction process for IC analysis. These acids can contain one or more ions that are present in plant tissues. As a result there is masking of ions which lead to erroneous results and require other technologies to aquire the data.A method using very pure water was employe in an alternative extraction of plant tissue for IC analysis. Tissue from green and red bell pepper fruit, sweet corn stem internodes,cabbage wrapper leaves, peach leaves, and mixed leaves and stems of cotton, or okra, were extracted with very pure water or 5 mM hydrochloric- (HCl), acetic-, or citric-acids. Tissues were ashed, or not, prior to extraction with HCl. Cations and anions in the extracts were determined by IC. In about 95% of occurrences, concentrations of ions in tissues extracted with HPLC-grade water were equal to, or greater than, those extracted with acids. Extraction of plant tissues with HPLC-grade water is recommended because of these results, lack of obscuring of some ions,as with acids, and fewer waste disposal problems.

Technical Abstract: Acid extraction of plant tissues has limitations that can affect ion chromatography (IC) results. HPLC-grade water may be used as an alternative extraction medium to negate masking of ions by acids used in extraction. Tissue from green and red bell pepper fruit (Capsicum annuum var. annuum L.), cultivar Pip; sweet corn stem internodes (Zea mays L.), cultivar Florida Staysweet; cabbage wrapper leaves (Brassica oleracea L. Capitata group), cultivar Solid Blue 770; peach leaves (Prunus persica (L.) Batsch), cultivar Coronet; and mixed leaves and stems of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.), cultivar Delta Pine 51; or okra (Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench), cultivar Spineless Green Pod, were extracted with HPLC-grade water or 5 mM hydrochloric- (HCl), acetic-, or citric-acids. Tissues were ashed, or not, prior to extraction with HCl. Cations and anions in the extracts were determined by IC. In about 95% of occurrences, concentrations of ions sin tissues extracted with HPLC-grade water were equal to, or greater than, those extracted with acids. Extraction of plant tissues with HPLC-grade water is recommended because of these results, lack of obscuring of some ions, as occurs with acids, and fewer waste disposal problems.