The time-course and spatial distribution of sugars and ions in carrot (Daucus carota L.) was studied at fine resolution using single cell (SiCSA) and tissue analysis. Four phases of osmolyte accumulation in the taproot were identified: an amino acid (germination) phase, when internal sources of amino acids provide seedlings with osmotica; an ion phase, when inorganic and organic ions were the main solutes; a hexose phase, when concentrations of glucose and fructose sharply increased and reached their maximum; and a sucrose phase, when sucrose became the major solute. Spatial distribution of sugar in taproot cells showed a general trend of highest concentration on both sides of the vascular cambium (some 200 mM sucrose, 150 mM glucose) and a minimum in the pith (some 100 mM sucrose, 60 mM glucose) and in periderm. Electrolytes (e.g. potassium) followed a distribution generally reciprocal to that of sugars; minimum in the tissue adjacent to the cambium (some 10 mM) and maximum in the pith and periderm (some 60-100 mM). The cambial cells contained unexpectedly low concentrations of sugars and potassium. These spatial and temporal patterns indicate that amino acids, other electrolytes and sugars are interchangeable in the tissue osmotic balance. The nature of the solute is developmentally determined both temporally and spatially. During the accumulation of electrolytes following the initial amino acid phase, osmotic pressure to 420 mosmol kg-1 rises and then remains constant despite large changes in the concentration of individual solutes. This indicates that osmotic pressure is regulated independently of the individual concentrations of solutes.