Effect of pH and aluminum on surface properties of barley roots as determined from water vapor adsorption

Abstract

Water vapor adsorption isotherms were used for the estimation of surface areas and adsorption energy distribution functions of roots of barley grown at different pH levels and at a toxic Al level (10 mg·dm−3), induced at tillering and shooting stages of plants growth. Values of surface area as well as energy distributions were the same for the roots grown at all pH values studied: 2, 4 and 7 and not dependent on the age of the plants indicating that the protons do not alter the physicochemical build-up of the surface of roots. However, significant changes of the root surface properties under the influence of aluminum: increase of surface area, average adsorption energy and amount of highly energetic adsorption sites together with a decrease of low energetic sites were observed.