Abstract
Due to a zinc-deficient diet, about 800,000 children die each year worldwide. This aspect is amended by exploiting foliar fertilization, a useful alternative to improve crop yield and nutritional quality of food crops. The aim of this study was then to investigate the leaf uptake and transport of zinc by soybean (Glycine max (L) Merrill). Plant leaves were treated with Zn phosphite and Zn ethylenediamine tetra-acetic acid (EDTA) commercial formulations. X-ray spectroscopy (XRF and XANES) was exploited to trace nutrient movement in the petiolule and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to evaluate the influence of leaf surface treatments. No radiation damage, in terms of elemental redistribution, was observed during the XRF and XANES measurements. As an alternative to radioisotopes, XRF allowed to detect the movement of Zn from both sources in the plant petiolule. Both fertilizers disintegrated leaf epicuticular wax crystals, yet accumulation of sediments in the vicinity of stomata was noted only for Zn phosphite. Absorption and redistribution of Zn were higher for plants that received Zn phosphite. Zinc supplied as Zn phosphite was transported in a form different from that of the pristine Zn phosphite, whereas Zn supplied as Zn EDTA was transported in its chelated form.
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Acknowledgments
The authors are grateful to Brazilian Synchrotron Light Source (LNLS) for providing beamtime at XRF beamline (proposals 20180650 & 20180167), to Dr. C.A. Perez for his assistance during beamtime, and to E.W. Kitajima (ESALQ-USP) for providing electron microscopy facilities. We also thank Prof. E.A.G. Zagatto for his invaluable contribution during the writing of the manuscript.
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This study was funded by São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) under the grants 2015/19121-8, 2015/05942-0, and 2018/13401-7. Partial support by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior – Brasil (CAPES) – Finance Code 001 is greatly appreciated.
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M. H. F. Gomes and B. A. Machado carried out plant growth, fertilizer application, and the XRF and XANES measurements. J. P. R. Marques was responsible for obtaining the SEM images. Data interpretation and discussion were carried out by M. H. F. Gomes, J. P. R. Marques, R. Otto, T. Eichert, and H. W. P. Carvalho. M. H. F. Gomes wrote the first manuscript draft which was reviewed and edited by the other authors.
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Gomes, M.H.F., de Almeida Machado, B., Marques, J.P.R. et al. Foliar Application of Zn Phosphite and Zn EDTA in Soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merrill): In Vivo Investigations of Transport, Chemical Speciation, and Leaf Surface Changes. J Soil Sci Plant Nutr 20, 2731–2739 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42729-020-00338-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42729-020-00338-3