Uptake of 15 trace elements in arbuscular mycorrhizal marigold measured by the multitracer technique.

The effect of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) colonization on the uptake of trace elements in marigold (Tagetes patula L,) was studied using a multitracer consisting of radionuclides of Be-7, Na-22, Sc-46, Cr-51, Mn-54, Fe-59, Co-56, Zn-65, As-74, Se-75, Rb-83, Sr-85, Y-88, Zr-88, and (TC)-T-95m, Marigold plants were grown under controlled environmental conditions in sand culture either without mycorrhizas or in association with an AM fungus, Glomus etunicatum, The multitracer was applied to the pot, and plants were harvested at 7 and 21 d after tracer application. We found that the uptake of Be-7, Na-22, Cr-51, Fe-59, Zn-65, and Tc-95m was higher in the mycorrhizal marigolds than in the non-mycorrhizal ones, while that of Sc-46, Co-56, Rb-83, and S-85, was lower in the mycorrhizal marigolds than in the non-mycorrhizal ones. Thus, the multitracer technique enabled to analyze the uptake of various elements by plant simultaneously. It is suggested that this technique could be used to analyze the effects of AM colonization on the uptake of trace elements by plant.