Interactions between aluminium and phosphorus on root surfaces and cell wall material

Summary The incorporation of aluminium into barley roots followed similar kinetics over a 24-hour incubation at either 23°C or 3°C. At either temperature most of the aluminium was recovered in the cell wall fraction of the roots. Aluminium is adsorbed by preparations of cell wall material, and once bound is not appreciably exchangeable with calcium or sodium ions. Cell wall material pretreated with aluminium is able to adsorb appreciable amounts of phosphorus. In experiments with root segments the phosphorus associated with aluminium was found to be almost completely exchangeable. A mechanism for the interaction of aluminium and phosphorus on the root surface is proposed.Supported by S.R.C. postdoctoral fellowship.