© 1997 Heron Publishing—Victoria, Canada
Distribution of elements along the length of Scots pine needles in a heavily polluted and a control environment
M. J. Giertych (1), L. O. de Temmerman (2) and L. Rachwal (1)
1. Polish Academy of Sciences, Institute of Dendrology, Parkowa 5, PL-62-035 Kórnik, Poland / 2. Institute for Chemical Research, Leuvensesteenweg 17, 3080 Tervuren, Belgium / Received July 11, 1996
Summary
Pollution often causes visible symptoms of foliar injury. The injury is sometimes associated with an increase in the accessibility
of toxic elements to plants as a result of acidification of the soil. We investigated the distribution of elements (N, P,
K, Ca, Mg, Mn, S, Fe, B, Cu, Zn, Al, F, Pb, Cd, Cr, Ni and Co) in healthy current-year needles of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) growing at an unpolluted control site and at a site polluted mainly by SO2, HF and Al3+ from a fertilizer factory established in 1917. Needles from both sites were sampled before the appearance of visible injury
and cut into five sections of equal length (tip, base and three middle parts). The mean concentrations of major nutrients
were 20–30% lower in needles at the polluted site than in needles at the control site, whereas the concentrations of aluminum
and fluorine were higher in needles at the polluted site. An increase in concentration from needle base to tip was detected
for N, Fe, B, and Al at both sites and for Mn only at the polluted site. Fluoride accumulated in the tips of needles only
at the polluted site, which could explain the necroses of needle tips at this site. The distribution of elements along the
length of the needles was influenced by pollution, element mobility and the distal accumulation of toxic elements.
Keywords:
chemical elements, needle part, nutrients, Pinus sylvestris, pollution.
