The seasonal variation of 20 elements in 1st and 2nd year needles of Norway spruce, Picea abies (L.) Karst

Summary

The concentration of 20 elements (including eight nutritional elements) in spruce needles was monitored by taking samples at nine different dates in a single year. On each date the youngest and the 1-year-old needles were collected at four different sites. The needles were washed with an organic solvent to remove surface contamination before analysis by instrumental neutron activation. Although the sites showed widely different concentrations for the same element, they could be treated as a uniform population using normalized concentration values. Taking the time dependence of the concentration and the ratio of the concentrations in new and old needles as criteria, the following three groups of elements could be distinguished: 9 group I —Ca, Sr, Ba, and Mn; group II — Al, Br, Co, Fe, Hg, La, Sc, Sb, and Zn; group III — K, Rb, Cs, P, and Cl. Mg and Na did not fit into any of these groups. Within group I and III elements the strongest variations occur during the growing season (late spring and early summer) and the weakest during the dormant season; the variation is greater in the younger needles. Group II elements show an approximately linear increase throughout the year in both the younger and older needles. The concentrations of elements of groups I and II increase with time, while those of group III decrease. Na is unique insofar as its concentration is influenced by foliar uptake of road de-icing salt. The concentration of elements belonging to the same group shows strong inter-element correlations. The grouping of elements deduced here shows similarities with the chemical nature of the elements and with their transportability within the plant.