Control of pH in a System of Flowing Solution Culture using a Microcomputer
Control of pH in a System of Flowing Solution Culture using a Microcomputer
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微机流动溶液培养系统pH值控制
DOI:
10.1093/jxb/35.12.1860
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发表时间:
1984
期刊:
影响因子:
--
通讯作者:
R. Canaway
中科院分区:
文献类型:
--
作者:
D. Hatch;R. Canaway
A system is described which uses a microcomputer to control pH in flowing solution culture and a brief account is given of its performance when intact perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) plants were grown in nutrient solutions with pH controlled at 5-0, 5-5, 6 0 and 7-0. Key words: pH; Microcomputer. INTRODUCTION Changes in pH of the solution surrounding plant roots can markedly affect the rate of uptake of nutrient ions and definitive studies involving solution culture techniques, therefore, require precise control of pH. Several systems have been devised for studying ion uptake by intact plants in flowing solution culture in which the pH and the concentration of nutrient ions are held near constant either by automatic monitoring and control (Asher, Ozanne, and Loneragan, 1965; Clement, Hopper, Canaway, and Jones, 1974) or manual control (Reisenaur, 1968; Bhat, 1980). With manual control systems, however, there may be considerable changes in pH between sampling. The automatic control of pH by Asher et al. (1965) and Clement et al. (1974) is based on auto-titrator controllers, with limited flexibility. Glass, Siddiqi, and Deane-Drummond (1983) have demonstrated the versatility of micro computers for measuring ion activities during depletion of stirred nutrient solutions by intact plants over a period of 15 min. We now describe the application of a microcomputer for monitoring and control in the system of Clement et al. (1974) to give flexible and precise pH control over extended periods, together with a brief account of the performance of the system using perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) as the experimental plant. COMPONENTS AND OPERATION The modification to a culture unit from the original system of flowing solution culture (Clement et al., 1974) is shown diagrammatically in Fig. 1. Each of four culture units is equipped with a flow cell containing an electrode for continuous sampling and monitoring of pH of the circulating nutrient solution. A control assembly based on a microcomputer 3 To whom correspondence should be addressed. This content downloaded from 157.55.39.56 on Tue, 18 Oct 2016 04:48:54 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms Hatch and Canaway—Automatic pH Control 1861 maintains pH of the solution in each culture unit at prescribed values by automatic delivery of acid or alkali. The concentration of potassium in the nutrient solution is monitored manually and adjusted twice daily; other nutrients are supplied in proportion to potassium. Equipment for automatically controlling the temperature of the nutrient solution is Recorder —<3 Control Assembly