Uptake and Translocation of a Nonionic Surfactant by Barley

Abstract Experiments were conducted to determine if nonionic surfactants are taken up and translocated by plants growing in solution or soil containing the surfactant. The effect of surfactant on plant growth was concurrently determined. Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) and the surfactant 14C‐labeled Soil Penetrant 3685 were used in the study. Surfactant concentrations in solution ranged from 0 to 300 ppm, and the amount of 14C‐labeled surfactant measured in plant shoots increased as the solution concentration increased. There was also a decrease in plant growth as surfactant concentration application increased. Soils were wet with solutions containing 0 to 10,000 ppm surfactant. Surfactant was taken up and translocated from soil systems, but much higher concentrations had to be applied to the soil as compared to solution culture for equal uptake and/or plant damage. Highest concentrations of surfactant occurred in the older leaves and in the tip portion as compared to the base portion of the leaf. Increased plant damage appeared to be associated with increased surfactant concentration in the plant tissue, but a direct cause‐and‐effect relation could not be established from the study.