Manganese and Rates of Growth and Mineral Accumulation in Cucumber

Abstract

Abstract ‘Sumter’ cucumber ( Cucumis sativus L.) plants were grown in the vegetative state with nutritionally sufficient solution followed by a 2-week period with Mn deficiency (no Mn), sufficiency (0.1 mg Mn/liter), or toxicity (10 mg Mn/liter). Beginning 34 days after germination, or about 2 weeks before imposition of Mn deficiency and toxicity treatments, plants were harvested every 3 days. With Mn deficiency and toxicity, rates of accumulation of dry weight (DW), fresh weight (FW), N, P, and K were lower than with Mn sufficiency. In contrast, rates of accumulation for Cu, Fe, and Zn were generally higher with Mn deficiency, compared to these fluxes in Mn-sufficient plants. Anomalously high accumulation rates for DW, FW, Cu, and Mn were estimated for the 3-day period following the beginning of the toxic Mn treatment.