To study the involvement of potassium in wood formation, poplar plants (Populus tremula L. x Populus tremuloides Michx.) were grown over the period of one growing season under different potassium regimes. Seasonal changes of cambial potassium content, osmotic potential and cambial activity correlated strongly throughout the season, increasing from spring to summer and decreasing from summer to autumn. Moreover, experimental changes in potassium supply affected anatomical characteristics of the cambial zone and the newly formed wood tissue. Low potassium supply markedly reduced cambial activity, the number of expanding cambial cell derivatives as well as the seasonal rate of radial wood increment and the vessel frequency. Further experiments using immunological approaches were carried out to uncover the molecular background of potassium dependency of wood formation. Potassium channels as well as H+-pumps were localised in poplar and shown to be involved in the maintenance of potassium homeostasis during wood formation.
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To study the involvement of potassium in wood formation, poplar plants (Populus tremula L. x Populus tremuloides Michx.) were grown over the period of one growing season under different potassium regimes. Seasonal changes of cambial potassium content, osmotic potential and cambial activity correlated strongly throughout the season, increasing from spring to summer and decreasing from summer to autumn. Moreover, experimental changes in potassium supply affected anatomical characteristics of the c...
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