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Effects of Mineral Elements on Hydrocyanic Acid Potential in Sorghum Seedlings¹

Sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench ‘Early Hegari’] seedlings were grown in nutrient solutions with various combinations of chlorides, nitrates, sulfates, and phosphates (dihydrogen) of ammonium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium to determine the effects of the mineral elements on hydrocyanic acid potential (HCN-p) in leaves.

Growth was maximum or near maximum for the shoots of sorghum seedlings at 1 to 30 meq salt in solution and for the roots at 0.3 to 3 meq. The duration of exposure of seedlings to the treatment solution required for significant changes in HCN-p was at least 2 days. The effects of various concentrations of individual salts on HCN-p were: KCl, a slight decrease; K₂SO₄, NH₄Cl, NH₄NO₃, (NH₄)₂SO₄, NH₄H₂PO₄, and KH₂PO₄)₂, an increase; and KNO₃, CaCl₂, Ca(NO₃)₂, CaSO₄, MgCl₂, Mg(NO₃)₂, and MgSO₄, no significant effect.

When potassium and ammonium salts of a common anion were added in 3 x 3 factorial experiments, increasing levels of ammonium salts at the 1X potassium level generally increased HCN-p, but varied effects of higher levels of potassium salts were observed. In factorial experiments, different levels of pairs of potassium salts of the various anion had no significant effect on HCN-p. In experiments with pairs of ammonium salts, increases in salt concentration generally increased HCN-p.

It was concluded that large changes in salt concentration affected alterations in HCN-p were associated with changes in ammonium salt levels.

Key Words: Mineral nutrition • Dhurrin Prussic acid • Sorghum bicolor L. Moench.

² Research chemist and supervisory research geneticist, AR, SEA, USDA, and foundation professor of agronomy, respectively.

Received for publication March 19, 1979.