Influence of anionic surfractants on Zn2+ and Sr2+ uptake by ivy (Hedera helix L.) leaves

Surfactants are frequently used as adjuvants for improving the efficiency of foliar applied fertilizers, pesticides and other biologically active substances. In our paper we used detached leaves of ivy (Hedera helix L.) for the study of the influence of anionic surfactants sodium dodecylsulfate (SDS) and sodium dicyclohexyl sulfosuccinate (DCSS) on zinc and strontium uptake by leaf surface and transport by radiotracer technique with 65ZnCl2 and 85SrCl2. Accumulated amounts of Zn2+ and Sr2+ ions by the surface of detached intact ivy leaves were 5.0 and 1.1 μg/g, respectively. Ivy leaves pretreated for 24 h in 1 mM SDS or DCSS solutions accumulated approx. twice more Zn and five time more Sr than non treated leaves. Pretreatment with surfactants increased mobility of zinc and strontium in leaf tissues. Separate experiments showed that both SDS and DCSS were sorbed onto the leaf tissue reaching equilibrium within several hours of immersing leaf blades to surfactant solutions. The process can be described in terms of partition equilibria P = [C]leaf/[C]solution with log P = 1.396 within surfactant concentration studied Co ≤ 100 μmol/L. The mechanism of action of surfactants on metal ion uptake is discussed.