High resolution 31P NMR spectra (103.2 MHz) of oxygenated Catharanthus roseus and Daucus carota cells grown in suspension cultures were obtained using a solenoidal perfusion probe. The spectra showed resonances for various phosphorylated metabolites such as ATP, ADP, NAD(P)(H), nucleoside diphosphoglucose, and sugar phosphates. The relative levels of the phosphorylated metabolites remained constant throughout the growth curve. No resonances for storage compounds such as polyphosphates, pyrophosphate, or phytates were observed. Two resolved resonances for Pi indicated an intracellular pH of 7.3 and 5.7 (or below) for the cytoplasm and vacuoles, respectively. The time course of Pi uptake and storage during growth in fresh culture medium was followed by studying the level of vacuolar Pi with 31P NMR (145.7 MHz). Simultaneously, the level of Pi in the culture medium was followed with radioactive 32P. C. roseus quickly takes up all the Pi from the culture medium (maximum rate 1.7 mumol min-1 g-1 (dry weight of cells]. The Pi is first stored in the vacuoles; subsequently, one part of this pool is used to keep a constant cytoplasmic Pi level while another part is apparently accumulated as an NMR invisible Pi store, probably in another cell organelle. In contrast, D. carota does not accumulate Pi in the vacuoles and consequently it takes up Pi from the medium at a much slower rate (0.05 mumol min-1 g-1 (dry weight of cells].