Investigation of uptake, translocation and fate of trichloroacetic acid in Norway spruce (Picea abies/L./Karst.) using 14C-labelling

[1,2-14C]TCA of a high specific activity (3.7 GBq/mmol) and appropriate radioindicator techniques were used, to study the effect of trichloroacetic acid (TCA) on conifers. Easy uptake of TCA from soil through spruce roots and its further translocation by the transpiration stream up to the needles (where damage of the photosynthetic apparatus occurs) has been proved. During the growth period, after one-shot load of TCA, the uptake was most intensive in current-year needles at first; over an extended period a decrease in the level of [1,2-14C]TCA-derived radioactivity was found in the current-year needles while in older needles (C + 2), the level rose. Symptoms of TCA biodegradation and/or metabolism were found in the plant/soil system under study. During an eight-week exposure significant losses of radioactivity into the atmosphere were noticed, at least a part of them in the form of carbondioxide. The results of these more or less preliminary experiments demonstrated the suitability and advantages of the radioisotopic technique used.