Within plant distribution of macronutrients in Protea 'Cardinal'
2003
Littlejohn, G. M. (Gail M.) | Van den Berg, Gerrit C. | Matlhoahela, Patience
Chemical analyses were used to determine the concentration of six macronutrients in the roots, basal stem, first growth flush and second growth flush of the stems and the flower head of Protea ‘Cardinal’. The plants were sampled every month and during flowering the flower head was also sampled. The data were used to determine the magnitude of the differences in plant nutrient composition among plant parts over time, and to calculate the average macronutrient content within the plant and within different plant parts. Potassium was the most prominent macronutrient, followed by nitrogen, calcium, phosphor, magnesium and sulphur. The ration between potassium and nitrogen was high in stem tissue and low in leaf tissue, indicating a higher potassium content in stems coupled with a lower nitrogen content. A significant interaction between tissue and time was observed for each element studied. This interaction was evidence of changes in the macronutrient content of different tissues associated with different growth stages of the plant. The most obvious of these changes was an increase in leaf and stem content of phosphor, as well as an increase in leaf content of magnesium, associated with flowering.
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