Skip to main content
Log in

Differential expression of zinc efficiency during the growing season of barley

  • Published:
Plant and Soil Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Considerable genetic variation exists in zinc (Zn) efficiency among cereal species and genotypes within the same species. Currently, the mechanisms of Zn efficiency are not understood well; however, the research so far suggests that overall Zn efficiency can be partitioned into uptake, utilisation and translocation or remobilisation efficiency, all or some of which collectively determine the level of Zn efficiency in a particular genotype. In a growth room study, using two barley genotypes differing in Zn efficiency (Zn-efficient Unicorn and Zn-inefficient Amagi Nijo), we attempted to determine which of these components of Zn efficiency contributed to greater Zn efficiency in Unicorn, by examining growth responses to Zn over a wide range of Zn fertilisation rates (0, 0.05, 0.2, 0.8, 3.2 and 12.8 mg Zn/kg soil) during the entire growth period. Zn-efficient Unicorn showed less severe Zn deficiency symptoms, produced more dry matter, and grain yield under Zn deficient conditions compared with Zn-inefficient Amagi Nijo. These responses also varied with the level of Zn deficiency stress and growth stage. Most importantly, the greater Zn efficiency (e.g., ability to grow well under Zn deficiency) at maturity of Unicorn was due to greater translocation of Zn from vegetative to reproductive organs or greater ability to produce higher grain yield with limited Zn rather than Zn uptake from soil which was similar in both genotypes. Zn-efficient Unicorn also had a lower critical deficiency concentration for grain (12 mg Zn/kg DW) than the Zn-inefficient Amagi Nijo (18 mg Zn/kg DW), suggesting a lower requirement for metabolic processes in Zn-efficient Unicorn. The critical deficiency concentration in the grain has the potential to diagnose Zn-deficient soils. The results also show that grain Zn concentration can be increased by Zn fertilisation, with significant increases occurring above the Zn fertilisation rate that is adequate for production of grain. However, genetic variation in grain Zn concentration should be explored and wild relatives of barley may offer potential for crop improvement for this trait.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Barker S J, Stummer B, Gao L, Dsipain I, O'Conner P J and Smith S E 1998 A mutant in Lycopersicon esculentum Mill. with highly reduced VA mycorrhizal colonisation: Isolation and preliminary characterization. Plant J. 15, 791–797.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cakmak I, Yilmaz A, Kalayci M, Ekiz H, Erenoglu B and Braun H J 1996 Zn deficiency as a critical problem in wheat production in Central Anatolia. Plant Soil 180, 165–172.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dick A C, Malhi S S, O'Sullivan A O and Walker D R 1985 Chem-ical composition of whole plant and grain, and yield of nutrients in grain of five barley cultivars. Plant Soil 86, 257–264.

    Google Scholar 

  • Graham R D 1984 Breeding for nutritional characteristics in cereals. Adv. Plant Nutr. 1, 57–102.

    Google Scholar 

  • Graham R D, Ascher J S and Hynes C S 1992 Selecting Zn-efficient cereal genotypes for soils of low zinc status. Plant Soil 146, 241–250.

    Google Scholar 

  • Genc Y (1999) Screening for Zn efficiency in barley (Hordeum vulgare L.). PhD thesis. University of Adelaide, Australia.

  • Genc Y, McDonald G K and Graham R D 2000 Effect of seed zinc content on early growth of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) under low and adequate soil zinc supply. Aust. J. Agric. Res. 51, 37–46.

    Google Scholar 

  • Genc Y, McDonald G K and Graham R D 2002a A soil-based method to screen for zinc efficiency in seedlings and its ability to predict yield responses to zinc. Aust. J. Agric. Res. 53, 409–421.

    Google Scholar 

  • Genc Y, McDonald G K and Graham R D 2002b The critical defi-ciency concentration of zinc in barley genotypes differing in zinc efficiency and its relation to growth responses. J. Plant Nutr. 25, 545–560.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kalayci M, Torun B, Eker S, Aydin M, Ozturk I and 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.

    Google Scholar 

  • Large E C 1954 Growth stages in cereals. Plant Pathol. 3, 128 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lewis J, Graham R D and McDonald G K 2001 Evaluation of wheat cultivars for zinc and manganese efficiency. In Proc. 10th Assembly of Wheat Breeding Society of Australia. Eds. R East-wood, G Hollamby, T Rathjen and N Gororo. pp. 133–136. Mildura, Australia.

  • McLachlan K O 1976 Comparative phosphorus responses in plants to a range of available phosphorus situations. Aust. J. Agric. Res. 27, 323–341.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pearson J N and Rengel Z 1995 Distribution and remobilisation of Zn and Mn during grain development in wheat. J. Expt. Bot. 45, 1829–1835.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rashid A and Fox R L 1992 Evaluating internal zinc requirements of grain crops by seed analysis. Agron. J. 84, 469–474.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rengel Z and Graham R D 1993 Genotypic variation in zinc uptake and utilisation by plants. In Zinc in Soils and Plants. Ed. A D Robson. pp. 107–114. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rengel Z and Graham R D 1995 Importance of seed Zn content for growth on Zn-deficient soils. II. Grain yield. Plant Soil 173, 266–274.

    Google Scholar 

  • Steel R G D and Torrie J H 1960 Principles and procedures of statistics. McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc., New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Streeter T 1998 Role of Zn nutritional status on infection of Medicago species by Rhizoctonia solani. PhD thesis. The Uni-versity of Adelaide, Australia.

  • Takkar P N, Singh S P, Bansal R L and Nayyar V K 1983 Tolerance of barley varieties to zinc deficiency. Indian J. Agric. Sci. 53, 971–979.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ulrich A and Hills F J 1993 Principles and practices of plant ana-lysis. In Soil Testing and Plant Analysis II–Plant Analysis. Ed. R L Westerman. pp. 11–24. Soil Science Society of America, Madison.

  • Ware G O, Ohki K and Moon L C 1982 The Mitscherlich plant growth model for determining critical nutrient deficiency levels. Agron. J. 74, 88–91.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Genc, Y., McDonald, G. & Graham, R. Differential expression of zinc efficiency during the growing season of barley. Plant and Soil 263, 273–282 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1023/B:PLSO.0000047741.52700.29

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/B:PLSO.0000047741.52700.29

Navigation