Electroosmotic Phenomena in Plant Tissues

The effect of a direct electric current on electrolyte transport through plant tissues was studied by applying it to 10-mm segments of the mesocotyls of etiolated maize seedlings, similar segments of one-year linden shoots with the normal conducting system and without vascular bundles, and isolated elements of the xylem and cell wall segments. At current densities of 9–38 A/mm² (10–20 V), electrolyte solutions in plant tissues always moved toward the cathode. The results suggest that electroosmosis is one of the factors responsible for changes in solution transport through the conductive plant tissues that occur under the effect of electric current.