The purpose of this paper was to determine the sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) reaction to nickel depending on the metal concentration and penetration way, i.e. through roots or leaves. Nickel was introduced into the nutritional solution (intraroot application) at amounts: 0 (control), 35, 100 or 200 µM, while intraleaf application was performed by spraying plants with water (control) or nickel containing solution at the concentration of 5 or 10 µM. Plants treated with nickel intraroot than intraleaf were characterized by a considerably higher metal content in roots and lower in leaves. Independently of the penetration way increasing metal concentrations caused a significant decrease of the parameters of physiological root activity, i.e. the root volume, total and active adsorption surface and 1 cm³ root active surface, in that a greater decrease of the root parameters was shown on intraroot than intraleaf application of the metal. Environment contamination with nickel caused also a chlorophyll concentration decrease in leaves, in that intraleaf nickel application, in contrast to intraroot, resulted in a higher decrease of chlorophyll b than a. Older than younger leaves showed a higher susceptibility to nickel applied intraroot, whereas roots were resistant to nickel applied intraleaf. The content of S-SO₄ in the sunflower depended on the nickel concentration and penetration way – intraleaf nickel application caused significant S-SO₄ increase in leaves and roots, whereas intraroot application resulted in S-SO₄ content increase especially in roots.

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