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High intrinsic seed Zn concentration improves abiotic stress tolerance in wheat

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Abstract

Background

Abiotic stresses are threatening wheat productivity across the globe, which is often associated with nutrient deficiencies. Zinc (Zn) is involved in many physiological processes of plants, and high intrinsic seed Zn concentrations may help to improve the resistance of wheat to abiotic stresses.

Methods

Three separate experiments evaluated the effect of intrinsic seed zinc on bread wheat resistance to abiotic stresses, viz. waterlogging, drought and salinity. One-week-old wheat seedlings raised from seeds containing either 49 mg (high), 42 mg (medium), or 35 mg (low) Zn kg−1 grain were exposed to waterlogging or drought stress for one week or until harvest. Salinity stress was applied at sowing for one week or until harvest.

Results

Plants with high intrinsic seed Zn performed better than those with medium or low Zn concentrations under each stress, including lower malondialdehyde contents and total antioxidant activities and more proline. The grain yield in plants from high, medium and low seed Zn concentrations increased by 10.5–48%, 12.2–21.5% and 7.7–21% under waterlogging, drought and salinity stress, respectively.

Conclusion

Plants with high intrinsic seed Zn concentrations produced higher wheat grain yields than those with lower levels under abiotic stress by reducing oxidative damage and improving the growth and uptake of nutrients.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Agronomy, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, 38040, Pakistan

    Muhammad Faran, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Kamran Saleem & Nauman Ali

  2. Department of Boreal Ecosystems and Agricultural Sciences, School of Science and the Environment, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, Canada

    Muhammad Faran

  3. Department of Crop Sciences, College of Agricultural and Marine Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University, Al-Khoud, 123, Muscat, Oman

    Muhammad Farooq

  4. The UWA Institute of Agriculture, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, 6001, Australia

    Muhammad Farooq & Kadambot H. M. Siddique

  5. Department of Crop Science and Biotechnology, Dankook University, Chungnam, Republic of Korea

    Abdul Rehman

  6. College of Agriculture, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Bahadur Sub-Campus, Layyah, Pakistan

    Ahmad Nawaz

  7. Agronomic Research Institute, Ayub Agricultural Research Institute, Faisalabad, Pakistan

    Nauman Ali

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  1. Muhammad Faran
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  2. Muhammad Farooq
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  3. Abdul Rehman
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  4. Ahmad Nawaz
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  5. Muhammad Kamran Saleem
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  7. Kadambot H. M. Siddique
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Correspondence to Muhammad Farooq.

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Faran, M., Farooq, M., Rehman, A. et al. High intrinsic seed Zn concentration improves abiotic stress tolerance in wheat. Plant Soil 437, 195–213 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-019-03977-3

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