Bromine for Plants: Root Growth Regulator
Bromine (Br)
For the plant – a regulator of root growth.
The role of bromine in plants is not fully established. There is information about its regulatory influence in small doses on the development of the root system.
In plant organisms, bromine can replace chlorine and participate in energy metabolism instead, slowing down the absorption of oxygen by the roots, disrupting the proper functioning of stomata in plants, and thereby hindering normal water balance and ion transport in the plant. Therefore, with excessive bromine content, plants wilt early, and spotting and chlorosis of the edges of the leaves are observed.
The content of bromine compounds in plants is on average 0.07 mg% (by weight), but the bromine content varies in different parts of the plant: it is significantly higher in the green parts than in the roots.
Some algae are capable of concentrating bromine and contain it in concentrations 80,000 times greater than the water of the reservoir. Freshwater plants also have a higher bromine content than the surrounding waters, especially peat-forming plants, where the bromine content in peat can reach 1 • 10–2%.
Actively accumulating bromine are plants from the legume family, nuts. It is abundant in edible mushrooms: porcini, birch boletes, and aspen mushrooms contain approximately 0.14 mg% of bromine (by weight). Many plants concentrate bromine dispersed in the soil, natural waters, and atmosphere.
Actively accumulating bromine are plants from the legume family, nuts. It is abundant in edible mushrooms: porcini, birch boletes, and aspen mushrooms contain approximately 0.14 mg% of bromine (by weight). Many plants concentrate bromine dispersed in the soil, natural waters, and atmosphere.
The bromine content: in marine algae – 74 mg/100 g of dry matter; in terrestrial plants – 1.5 mg/100 g; in marine animals – 6–100 mg/100 g; in terrestrial animals – 0.6 mg/100 g.
Part of the bromine is bound in plant organisms in complex and predominantly insoluble organic compounds, among which it is worth noting specific derivatives of phenols – bromophenols (in algae).
Medicinal plants containing bromine:
• plants of the legume family Fabaceae Lindl.;
• yellow water lily Nuphar lutea (L.) Sm., Nymphaeaceae (rhizome with roots);
• bird knotweed (= field knotgrass) Polygonum aviculare L., Polygonaceae (herb);
• spring adonis Adonis vernalis L., Ranunculaceae (herb);
• common shepherd’s purse Capsella bursa–pastoris (L.) Medik., Brassicaceae (herb);
• common fig Ficus carica L., Moraceae (leaves).
• plants of the legume family Fabaceae Lindl.;
• yellow water lily Nuphar lutea (L.) Sm., Nymphaeaceae (rhizome with roots);
• bird knotweed (= field knotgrass) Polygonum aviculare L., Polygonaceae (herb);
• spring adonis Adonis vernalis L., Ranunculaceae (herb);
• common shepherd’s purse Capsella bursa–pastoris (L.) Medik., Brassicaceae (herb);
• common fig Ficus carica L., Moraceae (leaves).