In higher plants the pH of the xylem sap plays an important role in drought signaling, growth regulation, and plant nutrition. However, the interpretation of the data is very controversial. The main reason for this is that the xylem pH in intact plants was not directly accessible hitherto. We present here a novel, minimally-invasive probe based on the xylem pressure-potential probe (used for measuring directly xylem pressure and the electrical potential between root xylem sap and medium). Single-tipped, double-barreled capillaries were used, one barrel served as H(+)-selective electrode, whereas pressure and electrical potential were recorded by the other one. Upon insertion of the probe into the root xylem of maize (Zea mays) seedlings, pH values ranging between about 4.2 and 4.9 were monitored when the roots were immersed in standard nutrient solution. The pH did not respond to changes in light irradiation (up to 300 micromol m(-2) s(-1)), but increased upon exposure of the root to 5 or 20 mm bicarbonate in the bath solution. Changes in pH could also be recorded in transpiring plants when the root was cut below the insertion point of the probe and placed in media with different pH. The data support the hypothesis of Mengel ([1994] Plant Soil 165: 275-283) that upon external supply with bicarbonate Fe is immobilized in the leaf apoplast via changes in xylem pH.