TITLE:
Determination of Energetic and Geometric Properties of Plant Roots Specific Surface from Adsorption/Desorption Ishoterm
AUTHORS:
Grzegorz Jozefaciuk, Malgorzata Lukowska, Justyna Szerement
KEYWORDS:
Adsorption Energy; Adsorption/Desorption Isotherm; Fractal Dimension; Nanopore; Plant Roots
JOURNAL NAME:
American Journal of Plant Sciences,
Vol.4 No.8,
July
30,
2013
ABSTRACT: Background and Aims: Structure and composition of plant roots surfaces are extremely
complicated. Water vapor adsorption/desorption isotherm is a powerful
tool to characterize such surfaces. The aim of this paper is to present theoretical approach
for calculating roots surface parameters as adsorption energy, distribution of surface
adsorption centers, as well as roots geometric and structure parameters as surface
fractal dimension, nanopore sizes and size distributions on example of experimental
isotherms of roots of barley taken from the literature. This approach was up to
date practically not applied to study plant roots. Methods: Simplest tools of theoretical analysis
of adsorption/desorption isotherms are applied. Results: Parameters characterizing
energy of water binding, surface complexity and nanopore system of the studied roots
were calculated and compared to these of the soils. Some possible applications of
root surface parameters to study plant-soil interactions are outlined. Conclusions: Physicochemical surface parameters may
be important for characterizing root surface properties, their changes in stress
conditions, as well as for study and model plant processes. Physicochemical and geometrical
properties of plant roots differ from these of the soils.