Re: [compost_tea] chelate question for the chemists out there

From: <soilfoodweb_at_aol.com>
Date: Sat, 24 May 2003 15:45:48 -0400

I like the "chemical" description of chelation. Sorry, being sarcastic.
 
"the chelation process removes the positive charge from metals [such as iron], allowing the neutral or slightly negatively
charged chelated molecule to slide through the pores on the leaf [I assume they mean the stomata] and root surface more rapidly."

Any biological cell has a net negative charge. So a positively charged cation has trouble getting through the leaf surface, either through stomate (usually easier to get through, simple movement of materials can result in movement through), or through individual cells.

In order to speed uptake, cations need to be neutralized, and the typical biological way to do this is to attach the cation to a protein. In this normal situation, it takes active, living biology to perform the chelation process.

Chelation can be done by addition of chelating agents, but those chelating agents are normally NOT present in soil. EDTA for example is not found in soil to speak of, or at least I know of no evidence that it is. Show me the data if I have missed something though.

So, chelation isn't something that just happens. It requires biological energy to make the molecules that neutralize the positive charge on cations.

Elaine Ingham
President, Soil Foodweb Inc.
SFI Corvallis, OR
SFI Port Jefferson, NY
SFI Lismore, NSW, Australia
SFI Hilversum, The Netherlands
SFI Cambridge, New Zealand
www.soilfoodweb.com

------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~-->
Get A Free Psychic Reading! Your Online Answer To Life's Important Questions.
http://us.click.yahoo.com/Lj3uPC/Me7FAA/CNxFAA/0PSxlB/TM
---------------------------------------------------------------------~->

To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
compost_tea-unsubscribe_at_yahoogroups.com

 

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/




Received on Sun May 25 2003 - 01:01:21 EDT

This archive was generated by hypermail 2.3.0 : Tue Feb 07 2012 - 14:29:16 EST