Nature and nurture: the importance of seed phosphorus content

Background

Low phytoavailability of phosphorus (P) limits crop production worldwide. Increasing seed P content can improve plant establishment and increase yields. This is thought to be a consequence of faster initial root growth, which gives seedlings earlier access to growth-limiting resources, such as water and mineral elements. It can be calculated that seed P reserves can sustain maximal growth of cereal seedlings for several weeks after germination, until the plant has three or more leaves and an extensive root system.

Case study

In this issue of Plant and Soil, Muhammad Nadeem and colleagues report (1) that measurable P uptake by roots of maize seedlings begins about 5 d after germination, (2) that the commencement of root P uptake is coincident with the transition from carbon heterotrophy to carbon autotrophy, and (3) that neither the timing nor the rate of uptake of exogenous P by the developing root system is influenced by initial seed P content.

Hypothesis

Here it is hypothesised that the delay in P acquisition by roots of maize seedlings might be explained if the expression of genes encoding phosphate transporters is not upregulated either (1) because the plant has sufficient P for growth or (2) because a systemic signal from the shoot, which relies on photosynthesis or phloem development, is not produced, translocated or perceived.     

Plant phosphorus availability index in rehabilitated bauxite-processing residue sand

Background and aims

Soil phosphorus (P) indices that have been originally developed and applied to agricultural soils for predicting P uptake by plants were examined in a pot experiment to determine the most suitable index for P availability in bauxite-processing residue sand (BRS).

Methods

Pot trials with ryegrass were established using BRS that had been amended with various organic (greenwaste compost, biochar and biosolids) and inorganic (zeolite) materials and different levels of di-ammonium phosphate fertiliser. Soil P availability indices tested included anion-exchange membrane (AEM-P), 0.01 M calcium chloride (CaCl₂-P), Colwell-P, and Mehlich 3-P.

Results

AEM-P was found to most closely reflect the available P status in BRS across all treatments, and had the strongest associations with plant P uptake compared to Colwell-P, Mehlich 3-P and CaCl₂-P. AEM-P was more closely correlated with P uptake by ryegrass than other P indices, while Colwell-P was closely related to leaf dry matter. Interestingly, a strong inverse relationship between plant indices and pH in BRS growth media was observed, and an adequate level of plant P uptake was found only in 15 year-old rehabilitated BRS with pH <?8.0.

Conclusions

AEM-P was found to be the most suitable index for evaluating P availability in highly alkaline BRS and pH was an important parameter affecting uptake of P by ryegrass. Importantly, time is required (> 5 years) before improved uptake of P by plants can be observed in rehabilitated residue sand embankments.     

Phosphorus speciation in mature wheat and canola plants as affected by phosphorus supply

Background and aims

As plants approach maturity and start to senesce, the primary sink for phosphorus (P) is the seed but it is unclear how plant P status affects the resulting P concentration and speciation in the seed and remaining plant parts of the residues. This study was established to measure how P speciation in different parts of wheat and canola is affected by plant P status.

Methods

Wheat and canola grown in the glasshouse were supplied three different P rates (5, 30 and 60 kg P ha^?1 equivalent). At physiological maturity, plants were harvested and P speciation was determined for all plant parts (root, stem, leaf, chaff/pod and seed) and rates of P application, using solution ³¹P nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy.

Results

Phytate was the dominant form of P in seed whereas orthophosphate was the dominant form of P in other plant parts. The distribution of P species varied with P status for canola but not for wheat. The phytate content of wheat chaff increased from 10 to 45 % of total P as the P rate increased. Canola pods did not show a similar trend, with most P present as orthophosphate.

Conclusions

Although minor differences were observed in P speciation across the three P application rates and plant parts, the effect of this on P cycling from residues into soil is likely to be relatively minor in comparison to the overall contribution of these residues to soil P pools. This glasshouse experiment shows the dominant P form in crop residues that is returned to soil after harvest is orthophosphate, regardless of plant P status.     

Contributions of root uptake and remobilization to grain zinc accumulation in wheat depending on post-anthesis zinc availability and nitrogen nutrition

Background and aims

Whether root Zn uptake during grain filling or remobilization from pre-anthesis Zn stores contributes more to grain Zn in wheat is subject to an on-going debate. This study investigated the effects of N nutrition and post-anthesis Zn availability on the relative importance of these sources.

Methods

Durum wheat plants were grown in nutrient solution containing adequate Zn (0.5?μM) and three different N levels (0.5; 1.5; 4.5?mM). One third of the plants were harvested when they reached anthesis. One half of the remaining plants were grown to maturity with adequate Zn, whereas the Zn supply to the other half was discontinued at anthesis. Roots, straw and grains were harvested separately and analyzed for Zn and N.

Results

Depending on the N supply, Zn remobilization from pre-anthesis sources provided almost all of grain Zn when the Zn supply was withheld at anthesis; otherwise up to 100?% of grain Zn could be accounted for by Zn taken up post-anthesis. By promoting tillering and grain yield and extending the grain filling, higher N supply favored the contribution of Zn uptake to grain Zn accumulation.

Conclusion

Remobilization is critical for grain Zn accumulation when Zn availability is restricted during grain filling. However, where root uptake can continue, concurrent Zn uptake during grain development, favored by higher N supply, overshadows net remobilization.     

The effect of soil water status on fertiliser, topsoil and subsoil phosphorus utilisation by wheat

Background and aims

Crop phosphorus (P) content is controlled by P uptake from both banded P fertiliser and from P throughout the soil profile. These P supply factors are in turn controlled by soil, climatic and plant factors. The aim of this experiment was to measure the contribution of fertiliser, topsoil and subsoil P to wheat plants under wet and dry growing season conditions.

Methods

An isotopic tracer technique was used to measure P uptake from fertiliser at seven agricultural field sites under wet and dry growing season conditions. At three of these sites a dual isotopic technique was used to distinguish between wheat uptake of P from fertiliser, topsoil (0–15 cm) and subsoil (below 15 cm).

Results

The amount of P fertiliser used by wheat was in the order of 3–30% of the P applied and increased with increasing rainfall. Topsoil P was the most important P source, but when sufficient P was present in the subsoil, P fertiliser addition stimulated the use of subsoil P.

Conclusions

Most crop P uptake was from the topsoil, however P fertiliser banded below the seed increased plant P uptake and stimulated the use of subsoil P in one soil type in a decile 7 (above average rainfall) growing season.     

Relative contribution of seed phosphorus reserves and exogenous phosphorus uptake to maize (Zea mays L.) nutrition during early growth stages

Adequate phosphorus (P) nutrition during early stages is critical for maize growth. Our objective was to evaluate the relative contribution of seed P reserves and exogenous P to maize nutrition during early growth stages. Seedlings were grown with labeled nutrient solution (³²P). Seedlings were harvested periodically over the course of the three-week study. Initially, 87% and 77% of the total C and N in seeds were located in the endosperm, whereas 86% of seed P was located in the scutellum as phytate. Up to the 7th day after sowing, 96% of phytate was hydrolyzed. Hydrolyzed forms of P were temporarily stored in the seed before being translocated to growing organs, suggesting that the hydrolysis of phytate was not a limiting step for P supply to seedlings. Significant P uptake by roots was observed from the 5th day after sowing on. Both sources of P supplied roots and leaves, with a slightly higher proportion of P from seed reserves going to leaves rather than to roots. Of total seed P, 60% and 92% was exported towards newly growing seedlings till 7th and 17th days after sowing and ceased to be a significant source of P for growth thereafter. We conclude that although both P supply processes overlap in time, seed P was the main P source during early growth stages.     

Uptake of zinc and phosphorus by plants is affected by zinc fertiliser material and arbuscular mycorrhizas

Background and Aims

Water solubility of zinc (Zn) fertilisers affects their plant availability. Further, simultaneous application of Zn and phosphorus (P) fertiliser can have antagonistic effects on plant Zn uptake. Arbuscular mycorrhizas (AM) can improve plant Zn and P uptake. We conducted a glasshouse experiment to test the effect of different Zn fertiliser materials, in conjunction with P fertiliser application, and colonisation by AM, on plant nutrition and biomass.

Methods

We grew a mycorrhiza-defective tomato genotype (rmc) and its mycorrhizal wild-type progenitor (76R) in soil with six different Zn fertilisers ranging in water solubility (Zn sulphate, Zn oxide, Zn oxide (nano), Zn phosphate, Zn carbonate, Zn phosphate carbonate), and supplemental P. We measured plant biomass, Zn and P contents, mycorrhizal colonisation and water use efficiency.

Results

Whereas water solubility of the Zn fertilisers was not correlated with plant biomass or Zn uptake, plant Zn and P contents differed among Zn fertiliser treatments. Plant Zn and P uptake was enhanced when supplied as Zn phosphate carbonate. Mycorrhizal plants took up more P than non-mycorrhizal plants; the reverse was true for Zn.

Conclusions

Zinc fertiliser composition and AM have a profound effect on plant Zn and P uptake.     

Predicting phosphorus bioavailability from high-ash biochars

Background and aims

Biochars are highly variable in nutrient composition and availability, which are determined by types of feedstock and pyrolysis conditions. The aim of this research was to (a) study the bioavailability of phosphorus (P) in biochars using different feedstocks and pyrolysis conditions; (b) develop a robust chemical method for biochar P availability measurements.

Methods

In the present study, (a) chemical analysis – including total P and extractable P (2% citric acid, 2% formic acid, and neutral ammonium citrate extraction), and (b) a bioassay test using rye-grass grown in a P deficient sandy soil were used to compare the P bioavailability of different biochars. Biochars were produced from two different feedstocks (dairy manure-wood mixture, MAe; biosolid-wood mixture, BSe) at four different pyrolysis temperatures (250, 350, 450, and 550°C).

Results

Results showed that P in feedstock was fully recovered in the biochars. After 6 harvests, the biochars were as effective as the P fertilizers tested [Sechura phosphate rocks (SPR) and calcium dihydrogen phosphate (CaP)] in increasing the shoot yield. However, P uptake followed the order of CaP >MAe biochars >BSe biochars >SPR, on a same TP basis. Based on the Mitscherlich equation, 2% formic acid was the most sensitive indicator of P bioavailability in biochars.

Conclusions

The results suggest that high-ash biochars with high P concentrations are potential P sources with high-agronomic efficiency. We propose the use of 2% formic acid extraction to predict the availability of P in ash-rich biochars.     

Phosphorus availability in chicken manure is lower with increased stockpiling period, despite a larger orthophosphate content

Background and aims

The relative proportions of phosphorus (P) forms present in manure will determine the overall availability of manure P to plants; however, the link between the forms of P in manures and manure P availability is unclear. This study compares the bioavailability and P speciation of three manures of different stockpiling duration: less than 1 month, 6 months and 12 months; manures were collected concurrently from a single poultry farm.

Methods

Bioavailability to wheat in a glasshouse trial was measured using an isotopic dilution method with manure added at an application rate equivalent to 20 kg P ha^?1. Phosphorus speciation was measured by ³¹P nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopic analysis of NaOH-EDTA extracts of the manures.

Results

The addition of all manures significantly increased shoot biomass and P concentration, with the fresh manure having the greatest effect. Addition of the fresh manure resulted in the largest labile P pool, highest manure P uptake and manure P recovery, while the manure stockpiled for 12 months resulted in the lowest manure P uptake and manure P recovery. NMR analysis indicated that there was more monoester organic P, especially phytate, in manure stockpiled for shorter periods, while the proportion of manure P that was orthophosphate increased with stockpiling time.

Conclusions

Together, these results imply that although the proportion of total P in the manures detected as orthophosphate was higher with longer stockpiling, only a fraction of this orthophosphate was plant-available. This suggests the availability of P from orthophosphate in manures decreases with longer stockpiling time in much the same way that P from orthophosphate in mineral fertilizer becomes less available in soil over time.     

Phytometric assessment of alder seedling establishment in fen and bog: implications for forest expansion mechanisms in mire ecosystems

Aims

Rapid forest expansion as a result of anthropogenic activities has been observed in many mires. However, it is unclear which environmental factors are driving this expansion because there have been no systematic investigations into mire-specific tree seedling establishment. This study investigated factors affecting the establishment of common alder (Alnus japonica) in a mire.

Methods

We performed seed sowing and seedling transplantation field experiments to examine the factors influencing germination rate, seedling survival, and seedling growth of A. japonica.

Results

Germination rate and seedling survival period decreased with increasing water level, and seedling dry weight was reduced at pH <6.0. Germination rate was also lower in the fen, whereas seedling dry weight was lower in the bog, which could be reasonably explained by the higher water level in the fen and the lower pH in the bog.

Conclusions

Our results showed that germination and seedling growth in the fen and bog were each inhibited by different mire-specific conditions: high water level and low pH, respectively. Therefore, seedling establishment could be improved by either lowering the water level in fens, to increase germination rate and survival, or raising the pH in bogs, to increase growth.     

Root-induced processes controlling phosphate availability in soils with contrasted P-fertilized treatments

Aims

In this study we identified the nature of the root-induced chemical processes controlling changes in phosphate (P) availability in a soil with two P loadings resulting from long-term fertilization treatments.

Methods

We used a set of mechanistic adsorption models (surface complexation and ion exchange) within the framework of the component additive approach to simulate the effect of durum wheat roots on P availability. We had to consider the influence of adsorption of other ions to ensure the goodness-of-fit of the simulations.

Results

We found that Ca²⁺ uptake, in addition to P uptake and root-induced alkalization, controlled P availability in the rhizosphere regardless of the fertilization level. The relative influence of these three processes depends primarily on the extractant used to estimate P availability. Calcium uptake was the most significant process in water extracts, whereas P uptake was the dominant root-induced chemical process in CaCl₂ extracts. Under low Ca concentrations, Ca²⁺ uptake decreased the promoting influence of Ca²⁺ adsorption on P adsorption.

Conclusions

In addition to confirming the validity of our approach to model P availability, the present investigation indicated that root-induced processes markedly affect P availability irrespective of the fertilization level.     

Localized application of NH4 +-N plus P at the seedling and later growth stages enhances nutrient uptake and maize yield by inducing lateral root proliferation

Background and aims

Localized supply of P plus ammonium improves root-proliferation and nutrient-uptake by maize (Zea mays L.) at seedling stage, but it is largely unknown how localized supply of nutrients at both early and late stages influences maize-growth, nutrient-uptake and grain-yield.

Methods

A 2-year field experimentation with maize was conducted with localized application of P plus ammonium as diammonium phosphate (LDAP) or ammonium sulfate plus P (LASP) at sowing or jointing stage, with broadcast urea and P (BURP) or no nitrogen (F0) as controls.

Results

Localized supply of P plus ammonium significantly increased root-proliferation, shoot dry-weight and nutrient-uptake at seedling stage. The positive effect disappeared at 53 days after sowing. However, plant-growth and nutrient-uptake increased again after the second localized application of P plus ammonium at jointing. The density and average length of the first-order lateral roots in local patches increased by 50 % in LDAP and LASP compared with F0 and BURP. Maize-yield increased by 8–10 % compared with BURP. Agronomic N efficiency and N-use efficiency increased by 41–48 % and 25–57 % compared with the BURP.

Conclusions

It is suggested that enhanced root-proliferation in the nutrient-rich patches with localized supply of ammonium and P at sowing and jointing stages is essential for improving nutrient-uptake and ultimately grain-yield.     

Increased availability of phosphorus after drying and rewetting of a grassland soil: processes and plant use

Aims

Drying and rewetting (DRW) often increases soil phosphorus (P) availability. Our aims were to elucidate underlying processes and assess potential plant uptake of released P.

Methods

Using a grassland soil with low available and high microbial P as a model, we studied the contributions of microbial and physicochemical processes to P release by determining DRW effects on i) C:P ratios of nutrient pulses in fresh and sterilized soils, ii) aggregate stability and iii) P forms released upon soil dispersion. Use of the P pulse by maize was examined in a bioassay and a split-root experiment.

Results

The strong P pulse after DRW was larger than that observed for C. Experiments with sterilized soil pointed to a non-microbial contribution to the pulse for P, but not for C. Aggregate disruption after DRW occurred due to slaking, and this released molybdate-reactive and -unreactive P. Maize benefitted from the P pulse only in the bioassay, i.e. when planted after the DRW cycle.

Conclusions

The majority of C and P released upon DRW originated from the microbial biomass, but for P release, physicochemical processes were also important. In the field, the released P would only be available to drought-resistant plants.     

The effect of rate and Cd concentration of repeated phosphate fertilizer applications on seed Cd concentration varies with crop type and environment

Background and aims

Limited information is available on how cadmium (Cd) applied in phosphate fertilizer interacts with soil and environmental conditions over time to affect crop Cd concentrations.

Methods

Field studies from 2002 to 2009 at seven locations evaluated the cumulative effects of P fertilizer rate and Cd concentration on seed Cd concentration of durum wheat (Triticum turgidum L.) and flax (Linum usitatissiumum L.).

Results

Soil characteristics and environment affected Cd availability. Durum wheat grain Cd increased with P fertilizer rate but effect on flaxseed Cd concentration was smaller. Cadmium concentration in fertilizer had a greater effect on flaxseed than durum wheat Cd concentration. Seed Cd concentration of both crops was greatest with the highest rate P fertilizer containing the highest Cd concentration. There was not a strong cumulative effect of fertilization over the 8 years of the study, indicating attenuation of Cd availability over time.

Conclusions

Cadmium in phosphate fertilizer increases Cd available for crop uptake, but crop Cd concentration is also affected by soil characteristics and annual environmental conditions. Type of crop produced and soil and environmental characteristics that affect phytoavailability must be taken into account when assessing the Cd risk from P fertilization.     

Biogenic ethylene promotes seedling emergence from the sediment seed bank in an ephemeral tropical rock pool habitat

Background and aims

Ethylene has been increasingly implicated as a regulatory mechanism in plant germination, growth, and development, and is produced from the sediments of freshwater habitats. In this paper, we analyse the production and origin of ethylene from ephemeral freshwater rock pool sediments, and explore the role of ethylene in regulating seedling emergence from the seed bank.

Methods

The production of ethylene from rock pool sediments subjected to variable moisture content and antibiotic treatments was assessed through gas chromatography, and the role of ethylene in regulating seedling emergence was determined by seedling emergence assays and seed germination experiments.

Results

Biogenic ethylene production from rock pool sediments occurred rapidly (3–6 h) following inundation, with the majority of seedling emergence occurring between 36 and 72 h. Inoculation of sediments with streptomycin and amphotericin B resulted in significantly reduced ethylene production (up to 60 % and 84 % respectively), and completely inhibited seedling emergence. Additionally, the exposure of dormant seeds to ethylene resulted in significantly increased seed germination percentage in five out of six rock pool species.

Conclusions

Biogenic ethylene production may play an important role in regulating seed dormancy and the timing of seedling emergence from the sediment seed bank following inundation events in rock pools and other freshwater aquatic communities.     

Rhizobia enhance acquisition of phosphorus from different sources by soybean plants

Aims

Some rhizobia can convert insoluble P into available forms for plant growth but the underlying mechanisms for this are not understood. In this study, the function of rhizobia in P acquisition from P sources for soybean was studied.

Methods

Four rhizobial strains were employed to evaluate their phosphate-solubilizing (PS) activity, their ability to mediate pH changes in growth medium for different P sources, and IAA production. A sand culture experiment using different P sources was carried out to characterize P acquisition changes of soybean plants with or without rhizobium inoculation. Rhizospheric acidification in soybean was further analyzed in hydroponics.

Results

Our results showed that all the tested rhizobial strains exhibited significant PS activity for different P sources in the order of Ca-P>Al-P>Phy-P??Fe-P as indicated by the halo/colony ratio technique and increased Pi percentage in the solid and liquid phases, respectively. Furthermore, all of the rhizobial strains could acidify the growth medium for all P sources except Phy-P, but only three of them produced IAA. Compared to non-nodulated plants, the nodulated plants had greater plant biomass and P content in sand culture for all the tested P sources, especially for Ca-P. Moreover, H⁺ and total acid exudation was more significantly enhanced in the nodulated plants in hydroponics.

Conclusions

Our results suggested that the PS ability of rhizobia is more related to acidification of the growth medium than IAA production. Rhizobium inoculation could enhance P acquisition in soybean, especially on soils where Ca-P is the primary P source, and the primary mechanism for rhizobial-mediated P solubilization appears to be via Pi remobilization of nodulated roots through rhizospheric acidification.     

Fertilization and forb:graminoid ratio affect arbuscular mycorrhiza in seedlings but not adult plants of Plantago lanceolata

Aims

Nutrients play a key role in arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) symbiosis. We quantified the response of AM symbiosis of seedlings and adult plants of Plantago lanceolata to fertilization under field conditions in managed grasslands differing in nutrient availability and soil moisture.

Methods

The AM symbiosis was measured as the total extent of AM fungal colonization and frequency of arbuscules or vesicles, and as the relative proportions of morphotypes. We further examined the effects of the surrounding vegetation upon AM symbiosis.

Results

Fertilization decreased total AM colonization and relative arbuscular frequency of the whole mycorrhizal community and of Acaulospora and “fine endophyte” morphotypes in seedling roots, but it had no effect upon the mycorrhiza in adult plants. The decline in arbuscular frequency in seedling roots due to fertilization was greater at the sites with higher nutrient availability and lower N:P ratio. Seedlings surrounded by more forbs had a greater total AM colonization and higher vesicular frequency.

Conclusions

Increased nutrient availability in the initial stages of seedling development has a prominent effect upon AM symbiosis development, but these effects seem to diminish over the long term, as evidenced by the results obtained for adult plants and from the limited effects of parameters characterizing long-term nutrient availability.     

Phosphorus acquisition from phytate depends on efficient bacterial grazing, irrespective of the mycorrhizal status of Pinus pinaster

Background and aims

Phosphorus from phytate, although constituting the main proportion of organic soil P, is unavailable to plants. Despite the well-known effects of rhizosphere trophic relationships on N mineralization, no work has been done yet on P mineralization. We hypothesized that the interactions between phytate-mineralizing bacteria, mycorrhizal fungi and bacterial grazer nematodes are able to improve plant P use from phytate.

Methods

We tested this hypothesis by growing Pinus pinaster seedlings in agar containing phytate as P source. The plants, whether or not ectomycorrhizal with the basidiomycete Hebeloma cylindrosporum, were grown alone or with a phytase-producing bacteria Bacillus subtilis and two bacterial-feeder nematodes, Rhabditis sp. and Acrobeloides sp. The bacteria and the nematodes were isolated from ectomycorrhizal roots and soil from P. pinaster plantations.

Results

Only the grazing of bacteria by nematodes enhanced plant P accumulation. Although plants increased the density of phytase-producing bacteria, these bacteria alone did not improve plant P nutrition. The seedlings, whether ectomycorrhizal or not, displayed a low capacity to use P from phytate.

Conclusions

In this experiment, the bacteria locked up the phosphorus, which was delivered to plant only by bacterial grazers like nematodes. Our results open an alternative route for better utilization of poorly available organic P by plants.     

Genetic variations in root morphology and phosphorus efficiency of Pinus massoniana under heterogeneous and homogeneous low phosphorus conditions

Background and aims

The vertical distribution of available phosphorus (P) in the soil is usually heterogeneous with soil depth. However, little is known about the P efficiency of conifer species under vertically heterogeneous low-P conditions. The purpose of this study was to investigate the genetic variations in growth traits and P efficiency of Pinus massoniana, under heterogeneous and homogeneous low-P conditions.

Methods

Pot experiments consisting of low-P (a low P level in all soil layers), layered-P (a high P level in the topsoil and a low P level in the bottom soil), and high-P (high P levels in all soil layers) conditions were designed and conducted. Three-way ANOVA was used to investigate genetic variations in P efficiency and the major growth traits under these three types of P conditions.

Results

There were substantial genetic variations in the major growth traits, including tree height, stem diameter and seedling dry weight, under both heterogeneous and homogeneous low-P conditions. The heritability for major growth traits was high under both types of low-P condition. Moreover, there were significant genotype × P interaction effects for growth parameters.

Conclusions

Our results indicate that it may be possible to select Masson pine genotypes with high P efficiency and productivity. The significant genotype × environment interactions should be exploited in breeding, and genotypes showing specific adaptations to certain nutrient environments should be bred and used within that environment.     

Zinc fluxes into developing barley grains: use of stable Zn isotopes to separate root uptake from remobilization in plants with contrasting Zn status

Background and Aims

Zn imported into developing cereal grains originates from either de novo Zn uptake by the roots or remobilization of Zn from vegetative tissues. The present study was focused on revealing the quantitative importance of the two pathways for grain Zn loading and how their relative contribution varies with the overall plant Zn status.

Methods

The stable isotope ⁶⁷Zn was used to trace Zn uptake and remobilization fluxes in barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) plants growing in hydroponics at 0.1?μM (low Zn), 1.5?μM (medium Zn) or 5?μM Zn (high Zn). When grain development reached 15?days after pollination the Zn source was changed to an enriched ⁶⁷Zn isotope and plants were harvested after 6 to 48?h. Zn concentrations and isotope ratios were determined using Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS).

Results

Plants with low Zn status absorbed 3-fold more Zn than plants with medium or high Zn status when roots were exposed to an external concentration of 1.5?μM ⁶⁷Zn. Stems and ears were the primary recipients of the de novo incorporated Zn with preferential allocation to the developing grains over time. The leaves received in all cases a very small proportion (<5?%) of the newly absorbed Zn and the proportion did not increase over time. Zn fluxes derived from uptake and remobilization were almost equal in plants with low Zn status, while at high Zn status remobilization delivered 4 times more Zn to the developing grains than did root Zn uptake.

Conclusions

Stable isotopes in combination with ICP-MS provided a strong tool for quantification of Zn fluxes in intact plants. The importance of Zn remobilization compared to de novo root absorption of Zn increased with increasing plant Zn status. Very little de novo absorbed Zn was translocated to the leaves during generative growth stages.