I recently did an experiment where I created sterile media by adding 1mM of ammonium sulphate to Murashige and Skoog (MS) Modified Basal Salt Mixture (No Nitrogen) M531. The media was not buffered as I was conducting a low nitrogen experiment and the buffer contained N.
The plants (both wild type and mutant) grown on the media were dying by week 3, very small, pale and yellow. I'm certain the problem is due to the media as other plants grown on potassium nitrate were still green and healthy by week 3.
Could ammonium sulphate have caused acidification of the media? I also grew plants on 1mM of ammonium nitrate which by week 3 were starting to become brown however it wasn't as severe as those on ammonium sulphate.
Both nitrification of ammonium (1) and its uptake in plants (2) produce protons that could lower the pH.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soil_pH#Sources_of_acidity
How about using a small concentration of bicarbonate to buffer the media.
Yes, it can acidify due to hydrolisis end evaporation of ammonia after hydrolisis. But I think problem can be in the form of Nitrogen. Plants can consume nitrates, but ammonia must be transformed in other form before consuming.
Both nitrification of ammonium (1) and its uptake in plants (2) produce protons that could lower the pH.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soil_pH#Sources_of_acidity
How about using a small concentration of bicarbonate to buffer the media.
Dear Kayla Hawkins, please refer to the following link which shows that
ammonium sulfate can not acidify sterile media, it is a soil fertilizer. Regards
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ammonium_sulfate
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