Abstract
Zinc (Zn) is an essential nutrient for plants with a major role in healthy root growth. Zinc is essential for maintaining root membrane integrity, but the effective Zn concentration required may depend on the crop genotype. Zinc-efficient and inefficient wheat cultivars (Triticuum aestivum cv. Excalibur and Gatcher, respectively) were grown in deep soil cores in calcareous subsoil with low micronutrient levels, and high pH and boron. Plants were grown in soil with or without basal nutrients (excluding Zn) and with or without addition of Zn. Components of yield and nutrient use efficiency were measured. Although Gatcher produced 47% more dry weight of tops and double the root length density of Excalibur at maturity, Excalibur was much more efficient in terms of Zn uptake by roots and seven-fold more efficient than Gatcher in partitioning Zn to grain production.
Similar content being viewed by others
Abbreviations
- Zn+ :
-
added Zn
- Zn− :
-
no added Zn
- nu+ :
-
added basal nutrients (no Zn)
- nu− :
-
no added basal nutrients
- cv:
-
cultivar
- DTPA:
-
diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid
- EC:
-
electrical conductivity
- ICP-OES:
-
inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy
- RSA:
-
total root surface area
- LSD:
-
least significant difference
- TD:
-
triple deionized
References
Adcock DP (2005) Soil Water and Nitrogen Dynamics of Farming Systems on the Upper Eyre Peninsula, South Australia. Dissertation, University of Adelaide
Adcock D, Wilhelm N, McNeill A, Armstrong R (2006) Subsoil amelioration on a sand-over-clay: Crop performance and residual yield benefits. In ‘Australian Agronomy Conference’. Perth. (Australian Society of Agronomy)
Adcock D, McNeill AM, McDonald GK, Armstrong RD (2007) Subsoil constraints to crop production on neutral and alkaline soils in Southern Australia: a review of current knowledge and management strategies. Aust J Expt Ag 47:1245–1261
Analytical Sofware (2008) Statistix, Florida, USA
Cakmak I, Marschner H (1988) Increase in membrane permeability and exudation in roots of zinc deficient plants. J Plant Physiol 70:13–20
Cakmak I, Sari N, Marschner H, Kalayci M, Yilmaz A, Eker S, Gulut KY (1996a) Dry matter production and distribution of zinc in bread and durum wheat genotypes differing in zinc efficiency. Plant Soil 180:173–181
Cakmak I, Sari N, Marschner H, Ekiz H, Kalayci M, Yilmaz A, Braun HJ (1996b) Phytosiderophore release in bread and durum wheat genotypes differing in zinc efficiency. Plant Soil 180:183–189
Cakmak I, Ekiz H, Yilmaz H, Trun B, Koleli N, Gultekin I, Alkan A, Eker S (1997) Differential response of rye, triticale, bread and durum wheats to zinc deficiency in calcareous soils. Plant Soil 188:1–10
Cakmak I, Torun B, Erenoglu B, Ozturk L, Marschner H, Kalayci M, Ekiz H, Yilmaz A (1998) Morphological and physiological differences in the response of cereals to zinc deficiency. Euphytica 100:349–357
Cakmak I, Tolay I, Ozdemir A, Ozkan H, Ozturk L, Kling CI (1999) Differences in zinc efficiency among and within diploid, tetraploid and hexaploid wheats. Ann Bot 84:163–171
Cartwright B, Zarcinas BA, Mayfield AH (1984) Toxic concentrations of boron in a red-brown earth at Gladstone, South Australia. Aust J Soil Res 22:261–272
Cartwright B, Zarcinas BA, Spouncer LR (1986) Boron toxicity in South Australian barley crops. Aust J Ag Res 37:351–359
Chhabra R (1996) Soil salinity and water quality. Balkema, Rotterdam
Dong B, Rengel Z, Graham RD (1995) Effects of herbicide chlorsulfuron on growth and nutrient uptake parameters of wheat genotypes differing in Zn-efficiency. Plant Soil 173:275–282
Graham RD, Ascher JS (1993) Nutritional limitations of subsoils. In: Barrow NJ (ed) Plant Nutrition – from Genetic Engineering to Field Practice Proc. 12th Int. Plant Nutrition Colloquium, Perth, Western Australia. Kluwer Academic, Dordrecht, pp 739–742
Graham RD, Rengel Z (1993) Genotypic variation in zinc uptake and utilisation by plants. In: Robson AD (ed) Zinc in Soils and Plants. Proc. Int. Symposium on Zinc in Soils and Plants, Perth, Western Australia. Kluwer Academic, Dordrecht, pp 108–118
Graham RD, Turner NC, Ascher JS (1992a) Evidence for subsoil constraints and potential benefits from amelioration. In: Proc. of the National Workshop on Subsoil Constraints to Root Growth and High Soil and Water use by Plants. Tanunda, South Australia, August 30–September 2
Graham RD, Ascher JS, Hynes SC (1992b) Selecting zinc efficient cereal genotypes for soils of low zinc status. Plant Soil 146:241–250
Hignett CT (1976) A method for sampling and measuring cereal roots. J Aust Inst Agric Sci 42:127–129
Holloway RE (1991) Factors affecting the growth of wheat roots in the subsoils of Upper Eyre Peninsula, South Australia. Dissertation, University of Adelaide
Holloway RE, Alston AM (1992) The effects of salt and boron on growth of wheat. Aust J Agric Res 43:987–1001
Holloway RE, Graham RD, Stacey SP (2008) Micronutrient deficiencies in Australian field crops. In: Alloway BJ (ed) Micronutrient deficiencies in global crop production. Springer Science + Business Media B.V., Dordrecht, pp 63–92
Horst WJ, Wiesler F (1986) Genotypische unterschiede in den anspruchen an das phosphat-angebot bei sommerweizen. VDLUFA-Schriftenreihe, Kongre B band 20:175–190
Isbell RF (1997) The Australian soil classification. CSIRO, Melbourne
Jones CA (1983) Effect of soil texture on critical bulk densities for root growth. Soil Sci Soc Am J 47:1208–1211
Kalayci M, Torun B, Eker S, Aydin M, Ozturk L, Cakmak I (1999) Grain yield, zinc efficiency and zinc concentration of wheat cultivars grown in a zinc-deficient calcareous soil in field and greenhouse. Field Crops Res 63:87–98
Loneragan JF, Kirk GJ, Webb MJ (1987) Translocation and function of zinc in roots. J Plant Nutr 10:1247–1254
Ma Q, Rengel Z, Rose T (2009) The effectiveness of deep placement of fertilisers is determined by crop species and edaphic conditions in Mediterranean type environments: a review. Aust J Soil Res 47:19–32
Marschner H, Römheld V, Horst WJ, Martin P (1986) Root-induced changes in the rhizosphere: importance for the mineral nutrition of plants. Z Pflanzenernä hr 149:441–456
Mathre DE, Johnston RH, Grey WE (1990) Effect of seed treatment in preventing transmission of dwarf bunt of winter wheat to new areas. Pesticide Sci 30:217–222
McBeath TM, Grant CD, Murray RS, Chittleborough DJ (2010) Effects of subsoil amendments on soil physical properties, crop response, and soil water quality in a dry year. Aust J Soil Res 48:140–149
Peverill KI, Sparrow LA, Reuter DJ (eds) (1999) Methods of soil analysis-an interpretation manual. CSIRO, Collingwood
Pinton R, Cakmak I, Marschner H (1993) Effect of zinc deficiency on proton fluxes in plasma membrane-enriched vesicles isolated from bean roots. J Exp Bot 44:623–630
Rayment GE, Higginson FR (1992) Australian laboratory handbook of soil and water chemical methods. Inkata, Melbourne
Rengel Z, Graham RD (1996) Uptake of zinc from chelate buffered nutrient solutions by wheat genotypes differing in Zn efficiency. J Exp Bot 47:216–226
Rengel Z, Wheal MS (1997) Basic parameters of Zn uptake by wheat are affected by herbicides chlorsulfuron. J Exp Bot 48:935–941
Soil Survey Staff (1992) Keys to soil taxonomy. Pocahontas, Blacksburg
Webb MJ, Loneragan JF (1990) Zinc translocation to wheat roots and its implications for a phosphorus/ zinc interaction in wheat plants. J Plant Nutr 13:1499–1512
Welch RM (1995) Micronutrient nutrition of plants. Crit Rev Plant Sci 14:49–82
Welch RM, Webb MJ, Loneragan JF (1982) Zinc in membrane function and its role in phosphorus toxicity. In: Scaife A (ed) Proc.9th Int. Plant Nutrition Colloquium, Commonwealth Agriculture Bureaux, Warwick University, England, pp 710–715
Wetherby KG, Oades JM (1975) Classification of carbonate layers in highland soils of the northern Murray Mallee, South Australia, and their use in stratigraphic and land-use studies. Aust J Soil Res 13:119–132
Zarcinas BA, Cartwright B (1983) Analysis of soil and plant material by inductively coupled optical emission spectrometry. CSIRO Australia Division of Soils Technical Paper 45
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Responsible Editor: Ismail Cakmak.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Holloway, R.E., Graham, R.D., McBeath, T.M. et al. The use of a zinc-efficient wheat cultivar as an adaptation to calcareous subsoil: a glasshouse study. Plant Soil 336, 15–24 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-010-0435-x
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-010-0435-x