Strontium

Strontium has no known function in organisms. It is chemically similar to essential K and Ca and thus able to enter different cell types using plasma membrane transporters for K and Ca. This will partially replace the nutrients, and cause lack of these elements in plants [8].

An experiment on Plantago major growth showed that Sr⁺ in the water gave a slight decrease of potassium and calcium content in the leaves. In the leaves, Sr also affected the chlorophyll fluorescence even at low concentrations. Low and high concentrations of the ions reduced dry weight and length of roots and leaves [8].