Modeling Nutrient Uptake in Chrysanthemum as a Function of Growth Rate

Abstract

The results of six experiments conducted over 3 years were analyzed to develop a relationship between nutrient uptake rate and growth rate in hydroponically grown Dendranthema ×grandiflorum (Ramat.) Kitamura, cv. Fiesta. Plants subjected to two levels of CO, and three levels of irradiance in four greenhouses were periodically analyzed for growth and the internal concentration of 11 mineral elements. The resulting data were used to determine relative accumulation rate and relative growth rate, which were included in linear regression analyses to determine the dependence of uptake on growth. The regression equations were significant, with a slight trend toward nonlinearity in some elements. This nonlinearity seems to be related to the aging of the plant and suggests a process in the plant capable of controlling uptake rate, perhaps as a result of changes in the rate of formation of different types of tissues.