Copper content in roots and shoots of cereals underdifferent types of salycilic acid treatment

Copper is involved in a number of metabolic reactions that ensure the vital activity of plants; therefore, its deficiency leads to disruption of physiological processes and a decrease of its productivity. In order to increase the contentof cupper in plants, a searching for ways to provide better absorption of copper by roots and enhance its transport to aboveground organs.The use of growth regulators for these purposes, including salicylic acid (SA), seems to be very promising.In this work, we studied the effect of two types of SA treatment (presowingseeds treatment and spraying of plants) on the copper content in the roots and shoots of barley and wheat under optimal conditions of mineral nutrition or under deficiency of this micronutrient in the substrate.The copper content in plants and substrate was determined by the ICP-MS method using a induced plasma mass spectrometer. To assess the intensity of copper influx into plants, the copper biological uptake coefficient was calculated; the intensity of metal ions transport into the shoots was judged on the translocation coefficient. It was found that spraying of plants with SA practically does not affect the amount of copper in the roots and shoots of cereals. In contrast, presowing seed SA treatment contributed to an increase in its content in plants, which was ensure by a more intensive uptake ions by roots, as well as a decrease in the activity of the root barrier and an increase in copper translocation into shoots. It is also important to note that these effects were more pronounced under copper deficiency in the substrate.