5.1.1 Mass Flow
Mass flow refers to the transport of substances with water flowing towards the root surface. The amount of nutrients transported by mass flow (FM) is determined by the flow rate (v₀) and the nutrient concentration (cₗ) of the water.
FM = v0 cL
If the mass flow (FM) is greater than the plant's requirement (and if the plant has the ability to exclude or restrict uptake), this can lead to an accumulation of substances in the root zone, for example, the precipitation of gypsum.
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