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Calcium Inhibition of Polyacrylamide Gel Hydration Is Partially Reversible by

Potassium

Article  in  HortScience: a publication of the American Society for Horticultural Science · August 1991
DOI: 10.21273/HORTSCI.26.8.1063

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H ORT S CIENCE 26(8):1063-1065. 1991.
Calcium Inhibition of Polyacrylamide
Gel Hydration Is Partially Reversible
by Potassium
Daniel C. Bowman
Department of Plant Science, University of Nevada, Reno, NV 89557
Richard Y. Evans
Department of Environmental Horticulture, University of California,
Davis, CA 95616
Additional index words. hydrogel, soil amendment, cation exchange
Abstract. Hydration of a commercial hydrophilic polyacrylamide gel in 20 meq Ca(NO 3)2/
liter was reduced to <10% of the maximum hydration in deionized water. Repeated
soaking with deionized water to remove soluble salts restored hydration to ≈ 30% of
maximum. Incorporating KNO3 at concentrations ranging from 5 to 40 meq·liter-1
with the Ca(NO3)2 in the hydration solution partially reversed the Ca2+ inhibition of
hydration following repeated soaking. Potential hydrogel hydration increased to 50%
of maximum with 40 meq K+/liter. Potassium nitrate supplied separately following
hydration in Ca(NO3)2 was much more effective at reversing Ca2+ inhibition of hydrogel
hydration than joint application. Potential hydrogel hydration (following repeated soaking)
was doubled after treatment with 5 meq KNO3/liter and reached 77% of maximum at
40 meq KNO3/liter.
Hydrophilic polyacrylamide gels (hydro- experiments examining the effects of K+ on
gels) are marketed as amendments to in- a calcium-inhibited hydrogel.
crease the water-holding capacity of container Experiment 1 examined the effect on hy-
media and field soils, based on their ability drogel hydration of K+ supplied in solution
to absorb up to 1500 times their weight in with Ca2+. Samples (1 g) of a commercial
water (Johnson, 1984). The cross-linked polyacrylamide hydrogel (Broadleaf P-4,
polyacrylamide hydrogels commonly avail- Broadleaf Industries, San Diego, Calif.), with
able in the horticultural trade are capable of a particle size of 1 to 2 mm, were each added
absorbing >400 ml of water per gram of to either 1 liter of DI or 1 liter of 20 meq
hydrogel. The presence of salts in solution, Ca(NO 3)2/liter, plus KNO3 at 0, 5, 10, 20,
however, severely restricts hydrogel hydra- or 40 meq·liter-1, with three replicates per
tion (Bowman et al., 1990; Foster and Keever, treatment. After 24 h, the hydrated hydro-
1990; James and Richards, 1986; Lamont gels were collected on a fine mesh screen
and O'Connell, 1987; Wang and Gregg, and the excess solution was removed by
1990). Solutions containing salts of the mon- blotting the bottom of the screen with a moist
ovalent cations K+ and NH4+ or the divalent sponge. After weighing the samples, each
cations Ca 2+ and Mg 2+ , at 20 meq·liter-1 , was transferred to 1 liter of DI for 24 h, then
reduced hydrogel hydration by >75% and collected and reweighed. The samples were
90% of maximum, respectively (Bowman et transferred daily for 3 days to fresh DI and
al., 1990). The inhibition of hydration caused reweighed to estimate the maximum poten-
by KNO3 was completely reversed by rinsing tial hydration of the hydrogels.
the hydrogels with deionized water (DI), Experiment 2 examined the ability of K+
whereas the inhibition caused by Ca(NO3)2 to reverse the calcium inhibition of hydrogel
was only partially reversible. We found no hydration when the KNO3 solution was sup-
reports of methods by which the Ca2+ inhi- plied after hydration of the hydrogel in a
bition of hydrogel hydration might be re- solution of Ca(NO3)2. Samples (1 g) of the
moved. We report here the results of two hydrogel were hydrated for 24 h in 1 liter of
20 meq Ca(NO3)2/liter. The samples were
Received for publication 22 Oct. 1990. The cost
then collected, weighed, and transferred to
of publishing this paper was defrayed in part by 1-liter solutions of KNO3 at 0, 5, 10, 20,
the payment of page charges. Under postal regu- and 40 meq·liter-1. The hydrogel samples
lations, this paper therefore must be hereby marked were weighed again after 24 h, then trans-
advertisement solely to indicate this fact. ferred to 1 liter of DI. As in Expt. 1, this
1063

Fig. 1. The effect of KNO3, supplied with Ca(NO3) 2 in the hydrating solution, on the hydration
potential of a polyacrylamide hydrogel (Expt. 1). Vertical bars represent LSD at P = 0.05 (n = 3).
Fig. 2. The effect of KNO3, supplied after gels were hydrated in Ca(NO3)2, on the hydration potential
of a polyacrylamide hydrogel (Expt. 2). Vertical bars represent LSD at P = 0.05 (n = 3).
transfer to DI and reweighing was repeated
daily for 3 days.
After a 24-h soaking in DI, the hydrogel
had absorbed water at 420 ml·g-1. whereas
it absorbed only 30 ml·g -1 in 20 meq
Ca(NO 3)2/liter (Fig. 1). Sequential soakings
in DI increased hydration to ≈ 30% of max-
imum. Inclusion of KN03 with Ca(NO3)2 in
the hydration solution had no additional ef-
fect on the initial hydration of the hydrogel,
but did provide some protection from cal-
cium inhibition of hydration following soak-
ing in DI. Hydration after the DI soaks
increased linearly with K+ concentration, from
≈ 150 ml·g-1 hydrogel in 20 meq Ca(NO3)2/
liter to 250 ml·g-1 hydrogel in 20 meq·liter-1
Ca(NO 3)2/liter plus 40 meq KNO3/liter.
1064
Potassium ion was considerably more ef-
fective at restoring the hydration capacity of
the hydrogel when it was supplied subse-
quent to the calcium salt (Fig. 2). Treatment
with K+ at 5 meq·liter-1 followed by soak-
ing in DI doubled hydrogel hydration com-
pared with the DI-soaked Ca(NO3)2, control.
Treatment with 40 meq K+/liter followed by
repeated soaking in DI, restored hydration
of the hydrogel to 77% of maximum. Since
the effect of KNO3 (in the absence of Ca2+)
is completely reversible by rinsing in DI
(Bowman et al., 1990), the remaining inhi-
bition observed here could be attributed to
Ca 2+ retained by the hydrogel.
These results underscore the importance
of monovalent-divalent cation interactions
in modulating polyactylamide gel hydration.
Supplying K+ in solution together with Ca2+
resulted in only a moderate increase in the
hydration of the hydrogel after repeated
soaking. In Expt. 1, where the hydrogel was
hydrated in solutions of Ca(NO3)2 plus KNO3,
the improvement in hydration with increas-
ing KN03 concentration is probably due to
the competition between K+ and Ca2+ for
cation exchange sites in the hydrogel. In
contrast, the large increases in hydration ob-
served in Expt. 2 are probably the result of
K+ displacing Ca2+ on the hydrogel’s cation
exchange sites. Calcium would then be free
to diffuse out of the hydrogel matrix. Even-
tually, an equilibrium would be reached be-
tween the activities of Ca2+ and K+ in solution
and exchangeable Ca2+ and K+ on the cation
exchange sites. The greater effectiveness of
KNO 3 when supplied subsequent to hydra-
tion of the hydrogel in Ca(NO3)2 was most
likely a consequence of the much lower Ca2+
concentration in solution at equilibrium.
Whether KNO3 was supplied together with
Ca(NO 3)2 or afterwards, its effect on cal-
cium-inhibited hydrogel was evident only after
repeated soaking in DI.
Based on these results, the potential hor-
ticultural benefits of hydrogel as a soil
amendment might be enhanced by leaching
gel-amended soils with water, or leaching
first with a solution containing a potassium
salt, followed by leaching with water. How-
ever, the application of such a practice in
commercial horticulture may be limited. Most
container media have a reservoir of calcium
present in the solid phase, typically as cal-
cium carbonate or dolomitic limestone. For
such media, it would be extremely difficult
to remove sufficient Ca2+ from the soil so-
lution to permit rehydration of the hydrogel.
Additionally, other container-soil amend-
ments, such as Micromax, strongly inhibit
hydrogel hydration (Foster and Keever, 1990),
so it might be necessary to remove or ex-
clude these as well. Finally, exhaustive
leaching would be practical only at the end
of the crop production cycle, when removal
of the plant’s nutrient supply may be unim-
portant.
We conclude that the inhibition of hydro-
gel hydration by calcium salts is partially
reversible by application of solutions con-
taining potassium salts, particularly when they
are added after removal of Ca2+ from the
solution bathing the hydrogel, and then only
when followed by repeated soaking to re-
move soluble salts from the hydrogel. The
need for thorough leaching of the hydrogel
to restore hydration capacity may limit the
practical application of this procedure in cur-
rent horticultural production.
Literature Cited
Bowman, D.C., R.Y. Evans, and J.L. Paul. 1990.
Fertilizer salts reduce hydration of polyacryl-
amide gels and affect physical properties of gel-
amended container media. J. Amer. Soc. Hort.
Sci. 115:382-386.
Foster, W.J. and G.J. Keever. 1990. Water ab-
sorption of hydrophylic polymers (hydrogels)
reduced by media amendments. J. Environ. Hort.
8:113-114.
H ORT S CIENCE , VO L. 26(8), AUGUST 1991
 James, E.A. and D. Richards. 1986. The influ-
ence of iron source on the water-holding prop-
erties of potting media amended with water-
absorbing polymera. Scientia Hort. 28:201-208.
Johnson, M.S. 1984. Effect of soluble salts on
water absorption by gel-forming soil condition-
ers. J. Sci. Food Agr. 35:1063-1066.
Lamont, G.P. and M.A. O’Connell. 1987.
Shelf-life of bedding plants as influenced by
potting media and hydrogels. Scientia Hort.
31:141-149.
Wang, Y.T. and L.L. Gregg. 1987. Hydrophilic
polymers-Their response to soil amendments
and effect on properties of a soilless potting
mix. J. Amer. Soc. Hort. Sci. 115:943-948.

H ORT S CIENCE 26(8):1065-1067. 1991. to ± 0.1C) for 90 min. The heat shock tem-
perature and duration were chosen based on
Epibrassinolide Does Not Enhance previous experience (Upadhyaya et al., 1990).
After the exposure to 22 or 48C, total elec-
trolyte leakage from the seedlings was de-
Heat Shock Tolerance and termined by measuring the electrical
conductivity of the ambient solution by use
Antioxidant Activity in Moth Bean of a Beckman RC-16C conductivity bridge
(Beckman Instruments, Palo Alto, Calif.).
Abha Upadhyaya, Tim D. Davis, and Narendra Sankhla1 The K+ concentration in the solution was
Texas A&M University Research and Extension Center, Texas determined using a Perkin-Elmer 5000 atomic
absorption spectrophotometer (Perkin-El-
Agricultural Experiment Station, 17360 Coit Road, Dallas,
mer, Nonvalk, Conn.), and the sugar con-
TX 75252-6599 centration was determined calorimetrically
Additional index words. brassinosteroids, electrolyte leakage, enzymes, growth according to Dubois et al. (1956).
regulator, stress, Vigna aconitifolia The concentrations of malondialdehyde and
proline in the seedlings were determined im-
Abstract. Moth bean (Vigna aconitifolia Jacqu. Marecbal cv. Jaadia) seeds were ger- mediately following the high-temperature
minated in 0, 0.1, 1, or 2 µ M EBL. After 72 hours, seedlings were exposed to 22 or treatment. The concentration of malondi-
48C for 90 minutes. At 48C, EBL increased total electrolyte, K +, and sugar leakage aldehyde, a product of polyunsaturated fatty
from the seedlings relative to the control. Following exposure to 48C, EBGtreated acid peroxidation, was determined from cen-
seedlings bad higher malondialdebyde concentrations than controls, indicating that trifuged extracts in 5% trichloroacetic acid
EBL enhanced high-temperature-induced lipid peroxidation. At 48C, EBL increased (Dhindsa et al., 1981; Heath and Packer,
ascorbic acid oxidase activity but decreased superoxide dismutase activity relative to 1968). Absorbance of the extract was read
the control. Taken collectively, these data do not support a hypothesis that brassinos- at 532 nm and values were corrected for non-
teroids confer beat shock tolerance to moth bean. Chemical name used: 24-epibrassi- specific turbidity by subtracting the absor-
nolide (EBL). bance at 600 nm. The concentration of
malondialdehyde was calculated based on its
The brassinosteroids are a group of re- to a variety of stresses, including cold, salt, extinction coefficient (Heath and Packer,
cently discovered compounds that are widely herbicides, and certain diseases. To our 1968). Proline concentration was measured
distributed among higher plants. They have knowledge, no research has yet been aimed using the calorimetric method of Bates et al.
been reported to influence a variety of growth at evaluating the influence of brassinoster- (1973).
and developmental phenomena, but their oids on heat shock tolerance. Because cross Ascorbic acid oxidase (E.C. 1.10.3.3) was
precise physiological and biochemical roles tolerance (i.e., where tolerance to one type extracted from the seedlings as described by
are undefined. Some evidence indicates that of stress is accompanied by tolerances to other Esaka et al. (1988). Activity of this enzyme
the brassinosteroids have a role in cell elon- stresses) is a common occurrence in plants, was determined by following the decline in
gation and perhaps cell division (Mandava, such research is relevant. The present inves- absorbance of the reaction mixture at 265 nm
1988). Brassinosteroids, at micromolar and tigation, therefore, was conducted to deter- (Oberbacher and Vines, 1963). The activity
lower concentrations, have promoted growth mine if EBL, a highly active brassinosteroid, of superoxide dismutase (E.C. 1.15.1.10) was
in a variety of bioassays, including carrot would reduce symptoms of heat shock dam- determined from seedling extracts prepared
cell cultures (Bellincampi and Morpugo, age in moth bean seedlings. Further, we according to Upadhyaya et al. (1985) and
1988), mung bean epicotyls (Gregory and sought to determine if any changes in heat quantified by measuring the photochemical
Mandava, 1982), cherry pollen tubes (Hew- shock tolerance are correlated with the ac- reduction of nitro blue tetrazolium (Dhindsa
itt et al., 1985), and wheat coleoptiles (Sasse, tivities of antioxidant systems considered to et al., 1981). The reaction medium was
1985). be important in plant stress tolerance (Lar- modified according to Rabinowitch and Sklan
Brassinosteroids have several potential son, 1988). Moth bean was used as the test (1980). Peroxidase (E.C. 1.11.1.7) and cat-
agricultural applications (Mandava, 1988); material because of its importance as a pro- alase (E.C. 1.11.1.6) were extracted from
among these is the potential for conferring tein source in arid and semi-arid zones of the the seedlings as described by Upadhyaya et
stress tolerance to crop plants. For example, tropics where high-temperature tolerance is al. (1985). Activities of these enzymes were
based on preliminary observations, Hamada of considerable interest. determined by measuring the ability of the
et al. (1985) and Hamada (1986) suggested Seeds of moth bean were surface sterilized extracts to catabolize hydrogen peroxide
that brassinosteroids enhance crop resistance with 10% sodium hypochlorite for 10 min, (Maehly and Chance, 1959).
rinsed thoroughly, and placed in the dark at The experiment was conducted four times.
22C in petri dishes on filter paper moistened All associated biochemical analyses were
Received for publication 1 Nov. 1990. We thank with 0, 0.1, 1, or 2 µ M solutions of EBL. performed with two replicate samples per
Nobuo Ikekawa for supplying the EBL used in this After the cotyledons were excised, uniform treatment. Each replicate sample was com-
study. Contribution no. 25651 from the Texas Ag- seedlings weighing ≈ 70 mg and possessing posed of two seedlings. Statistical inferences
ricultural Experiment Station. The cost of pub- 3-cm-long radicles were rinsed in distilled were made based on a series of t tests be-
lishing this paper was defrayed in part by the
water and used for the subsequent high-tem- tween means.
payment of page charges. Under postal regula-
tions, this paper therefore must be hereby marked perature exposure. Ten seedlings per treat- Exposure of the seedlings to 48C dramat-
advertisement solely to indicate this fact. ment were incubated in a test tube containing ically increased electrolyte leakage com-
1
Permanent address: Dept. of Botany, Univ. of 10 ml of distilled water at 22 or 48C (con- pared to 22C, as indicated by the electrical
Jodhpur, Jodhpur, India 342001. trolled by a constant-temperature water bath conductivity (Table 1). Furthermore, EBL

HORT SCIENCE , VOL. 26(8), AUGUST 1991 1065

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