The kinetic characteristics of Zn uptake by Potentilla griffithii Hook. f. var. velutina Card. were studied with hydroponic culture under differen
t Zn supply and its exposure time. When the Zn supply was 10 mg·L-1, the
Zn concentration in shoot and root reached the peak on the 8th day, being
2.49×103 mg·kg-1 and 2.21×103 mg·kg-1, respectively; while when
the supply was 100 mg·L-1, the Zn concentration in shoot reached the max
imum (1.23×103 mg·kg-1) on the 16th day, but that in root did not exhibit saturation. The Zn concentration in leaf and leafstalk increased with increasing Zn supply from 0 to 160 mg·L-1, but had no increase or even decreased when the Zn supply was higher than 160 mg·L-1. The Zn concentration in root exhibited a positive correlation with Zn supply and its exposure
time, and the kinetic curve of Zn uptake fitted linear-quadratic (LQ) model,
i.e., fast linear uptake first and slow saturation uptake later, with the d
ividing point at about 1.2 hours’ exposure, which could be related with the Zn
adsorption on root cell wall and the Zn transportation across the cell memb
rane.