Analysis of plant micronutrient composition using the ANE method

The authors calculated the total sum of microelements in plants and determined the percentage share of specific elements in this sum according to the ANE method. Then, both the changes of the microelements share in the sum and the changes of absolute microelement concentrations in plant tissues depending on soil pH were investigated. The sample collections of four plant species from the Silesia region, Poland, constituted the research material (156 samples in total). It was found that, in general, the Mn share in the sum decreased and the Fe share increased with increasing pH level. Moreover, the change of micronutrient weight-concentrations in plant tissues, which was caused by the pH changes, did not correspond with the change of the micronutrient relationship in the total sum. This result suggests that the assessment of micronutrient status in plants is not a reliable enough method when basing solely on the absolute weight-concentration in plant tissues.