Zinc deficiency in selected cultivars of wheat and barley as tested in solution culture

• Published in: Communications in soil science and plant analysis 2006-06, Vol.37 (11-12), p.1703-1721
• Main Authors: Imtiaz, M, Alloway, B.J, Khan, P, Memon, M.Y, Siddiqui, S.U.H, Aslam, M, Shah, S.K.H
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Agronomy. Soil science and plant productions; Barley; Biological and medical sciences; copper; cultivars; deficiency; dry matter accumulation; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Hordeum vulgare; iron; manganese; nutrient deficiencies; nutrient retention; nutrient solutions; nutrient use efficiency; nutrient-nutrient interactions; phosphorus; plant nutrition; shoots; Triticum aestivum; wheat; zinc; zinc efficiency
• ISSN: 0010-3624; 1532-2416
• DOI: 10.1080/00103620600710454

The relative zinc (Zn) efficiencies of 33 wheat and 3 barley cultivars were determined by growing them in chelate-buffered culture solutions. Zn efficiency, determined by growth in a Zn-deficient solution relative to that in a medium containing an adequate concentration of Zn, was found to vary between 10% and 63% among the cultivars tested. Out of the 36 cultivars tested, 12 proved to be Zn efficient, 10 were Zn inefficient, and the remaining 14 varieties were classed as intermediate. The most Zn-efficient cultivars included Bakhtawar, Gatcher S61, Wilgoyne, and Madrigal, and the most Zn inefficient included Durati, Songlen, Excalibur, and Chakwal-86. Zn-efficient cultivars accumulated greater amounts of Zn in their shoots than inefficient cultivars, but the correlation between shoot Zn and shoot dry matter production was poor. All the cultivars accumulated higher concentrations of iron (Fe), copper (Cu), manganese (Mn), and phosphorus (P) at deficient levels of Zn, compared with adequate Zn concentrations. The Zn-inefficient cultivars accumulated higher concentrations of these other elements compared to efficient cultivars.