Rongli Shi

Iron and Zinc Concentrations in Grain and Flour of Winter Wheat As Affected by Foliar Application

Human deficiencies of iron (Fe) and zinc (Zn) are worldwide problems. Biofortification of wheat could reduce Fe and Zn deficiencies in societies that depend on wheat consumption. This study investigated the effects of foliar application of Fe with or without Zn on the concentrations of Fe and Zn in grain and especially in flour of three wheat cultivars. On average, grain Fe concentration was increased significantly from 29.5 mg kg(-1) in the control to 37.8, 35.9, or 34.9 mg kg(-1) by application of FeSO4, ferric citrate plus ZnSO4, or ferric citrate, respectively. As expected, grain Zn concentration was increased from 29.0 mg kg(-1) in the control to 45.7 or 39.6 mg kg(-1) by application of ferric citrate plus ZnSO4 or a complex of micronutrients. Although the Fe and Zn concentrations in flour were inherently lower than in bran and shorts made by experimental mill, the concentrations in flour were simultaneously increased from 10.4 to 12.4 mg kg(-1) for Fe and from 11.8 to 17.4 mg kg(-1) for Zn by application of ferric citrate plus ZnSO4. Importantly, Fe was peripherally localized within grain fractions and strictly limited to transport to endosperm, making it more difficult to increase the quantity of Fe in flour products by foliar Fe application, but the situation with Zn is promising because Zn is more readily transported to the endosperm than Fe. The current study increases the understanding of agronomic biofortification.

Senescence-induced iron mobilization in source leaves of barley (Hordeum vulgare) plants

• Retranslocation of iron (Fe) from source leaves to sinks requires soluble Fe binding forms. As much of the Fe is protein-bound and associated with the leaf nitrogen (N) status, we investigated the role of N in Fe mobilization and retranslocation under N deficiency- vs dark-induced leaf senescence. • By excluding Fe retranslocation from the apoplastic root pool, Fe concentrations in source and sink leaves from hydroponically grown barley (Hordeum vulgare) plants were determined in parallel with the concentrations of potential Fe chelators and the expression of genes involved in phytosiderophore biosynthesis. • N supply showed opposing effects on Fe pools in source leaves, inhibiting Fe export out of source leaves under N sufficiency but stimulating Fe export from source leaves under N deficiency, which partially alleviated Fe deficiency-induced chlorosis. Both triggers of leaf senescence, shading and N deficiency, enhanced NICOTIANAMINE SYNTHASE2 gene expression, soluble Fe pools in source leaves, and phytosiderophore and citrate rather than nicotianamine concentrations. • These results indicate that Fe mobilization within senescing leaves is independent of a concomitant N sink in young leaves and that phytosiderophores enhance Fe solubility in senescing source leaves, favoring subsequent Fe retranslocation.

Evaluation of different column types for the hydrophilic interaction chromatographic separation of iron-citrate and copper-histidine species from plants.

Hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC) has emerged as a very useful separation method for polar analytes, including non-covalent metal species. Several types of stationary phases are available for HILIC applications, differing mainly in their chemical functionalities that supply additional interaction modes and alternative selectivities for the separation of special analytes. With regard to the separation of metal species only few of these stationary phases have been applied to date, and it is not completely clear what are their differences with respect to the chromatographic separation of metal species, but also with respect to species stability during chromatography. Here, a comparison of different column types for the HILIC separation of iron citrate and copper histidine species is presented and the results are discussed with respect to retention mechanisms and chromatographic stability of these metal species. It is shown that different stationary phases display very different separation patterns. In particular, three types of HILIC columns enable successful separation of iron citrates and copper histidine at pH 5.5, namely a crosslinked diol phase, a zwitterionic phase, and an amide phase. Two groups of iron-citrates are separated on all three columns, consisting of a species of 3:3 stoichiometry and another one of mainly 3:4 stoichiometry (plus 1:2 and 2:2 species). For copper-histidine only one stable species is found based on the 1:2 stoichiometry. Detection and unambiguous identification of the different species is possible by employing electrospray mass spectrometry in the negative ionization mode. Species found in standard solutions are consistent with species found in spiked plant samples. Also in unspiked solutions iron citrate of 3:4 stoichiometry (plus 1:2 and 2:2) is detectable, but no species of 3:3 stoichiometry. Significant differences of related species patterns are found in real plant samples.

The genetic basis of natural variation for iron homeostasis in the maize IBM population

BackgroundIron (Fe) deficiency symptoms in maize (Zea mays subsp. mays) express as leaf chlorosis, growth retardation, as well as yield reduction and are typically observed when plants grow in calcareous soils at alkaline pH. To improve our understanding of genotypical variability in the tolerance to Fe deficiency-induced chlorosis, the objectives of this study were to (i) determine the natural genetic variation of traits related to Fe homeostasis in the maize intermated B73 × Mo17 (IBM) population, (ii) to identify quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for these traits, and (iii) to analyze expression levels of genes known to be involved in Fe homeostasis as well as of candidate genes obtained from the QTL analysis.ResultsIn hydroponically-grown maize, a total of 47 and 39 QTLs were detected for the traits recorded under limited and adequate supply of Fe, respectively.ConclusionsFrom the QTL results, we were able to identify new putative candidate genes involved in Fe homeostasis under a deficient or adequate Fe nutritional status, like Ferredoxin class gene, putative ferredoxin PETF, metal tolerance protein MTP4, and MTP8. Furthermore, our expression analysis of candidate genes suggested the importance of trans-acting regulation for 2’-deoxymugineic acid synthase 1 (DMAS1), nicotianamine synthase (NAS3, NAS1), formate dehydrogenase 1 (FDH1), methylthioribose-1-phosphate isomerase (IDI2), aspartate/tyrosine/aromatic aminotransferase (IDI4), and methylthioribose kinase (MTK).

Is iron phloem mobile during senescence in trees? A reinvestigation of Rissmüller's finding of 1874.

As long as 130 years ago Rissmüller reported substantial retranslocation of iron (Fe) from beech leaves (Fagus sylvatica L.) shortly before leaf fall. This rather limited report on Fe retranslocation via the phloem in plants was the reason for this research to study changes in Fe content in individual beech leaves in more detail during the vegetative period. Besides Fe, other micronutrients and particularly Ca and K, well known to differ substantially in phloem mobility, were analysed as mineral nutrient markers. In addition to beech, other deciduous and evergreen species of Angiosperms and Gymnosperms were also studied. As expected, there was no evidence of Ca retranslocation from senescent leaves, while K as a phloem mobile mineral nutrient was retranslocated in fall in deciduous but not in evergreen trees. There was no indication to support Rissmüllers finding of Fe retranslocation in any of the different species studied. From these results, we conclude that natural leaf senescence of trees during late season does not induce retranslocation of Fe and other micronutrients. Possible reasons for the absence of a distinct retranslocation of Fe in the species studied during late season senescence are the lack of a sink activity, as for example the development of seeds in annual plant species (e.g., cereals), or the presence of a root system still active enough to provide Fe and other mineral nutrients for plant demand, and both factors have to be considered in further studies. Reviewing the data in the literature on Fe and Zn retranslocation during senescence, we conclude that in principle both micronutrients are potentially phloem mobile. However, various prerequisites are needed for the occurrence of phloem mobility which were absent in the plant species studied. Regardless of this conclusion, we recommend that in general early published research data need a critical re-evaluation.

Characterization of Quantitative Trait Loci for Grain Minerals in Hexaploid Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

Wheat is an important source of essential minerals for human body. Breeding wheat with high grain mineral concentration thus benefits human health. The objective of present study was to identify quantitative trait loci (QTLs) controlling grain mineral concentration and to evaluate the relation between nitrogen (N) and other essential minerals in winter wheat. Wheat grains were harvested from field experiment which conducted in China and analyzed for this purpose. Forty-three QTLs controlling grain mineral concentration and nitrogen-related traits were detected by using a double haploid (DH) population derived from winter wheat varieties Hanxuan 10 and Lumai 14. Chromosomes 4D and 5A might be very important in controlling mineral status in wheat grains. Significant positive correlations were found between grain nitrogen concentration (GNC) and nutrients Fe, Mn, Cu, Mg concentrations (FeGC, MnGC, CuGC, MgGC). Flag leaf N concentration at anthesis (FLNC) significantly and positively correlated with GNC, FeGC, MnGC, and CuGC. The study extended our knowledge on minerals in wheat grains and suggested which interactions between minerals should be considered in future breeding program.

Responses of Aerobic Rice （Oryza sativa L.） to Iron Deficiency

Abstract Aerobic rice has the advantage of saving water. Most published work has focused on improving its yield, while few reported on its micronutrient status. In fact, Fe deficiency is a common nutritional problem in the production of aerobic rice. Short-term hydroponic culture experiments were conducted to study the response of aerobic rice to Fe deficiency and the effect of root exudates from Fe-deficient wheat on its Fe uptake ability. The results indicate that the amount of phytosiderophores (PS) released from aerobic rice did not increase under Fe deficient conditions. The Fe(III) reducing capacity of Fe-deficient aerobic rice did not increase and the solution pH did not decrease significantly. Whats more, no obvious swelling was observed in the root tips. Aerobic rice did not show special responses to improve their Fe nutrition under Fe deficiency as both strategy I and II plants though they were very sensitive to Fe deficiency. This may be a reason which causes Fe deficiency problem in aerobic rice. However, root exudates from Fe-deficient wheat (PSw) could improve its Fe nutrition in the presence of insoluble Fe(OH) 3 . This suggests that aerobic rice could utilize Fe activated by PSw.

Iron Retention in Root Hemicelluloses Causes Genotypic Variability in the Tolerance to Iron Deficiency-Induced Chlorosis in Maize

Antagonistic interactions of phosphorus (P) hamper iron (Fe) acquisition by plants and can cause Fe deficiency-induced chlorosis. To determine the physiological processes underlying adverse Fe–P interactions, the maize lines B73 and Mo17, which differ in chlorosis susceptibility, were grown hydroponically at different Fe:P ratios. In the presence of P, Mo17 became more chlorotic than B73. The higher sensitivity of Mo17 to Fe deficiency was not related to Fe–P interactions in leaves but to lower Fe translocation to shoots, which coincided with a larger pool of Fe being fixed in the root apoplast of P-supplied Mo17 plants. Fractionating cell wall components from roots showed that most of the cell wall-contained P accumulated in pectin, whereas most of the Fe was bound to root hemicelluloses, revealing that co-precipitation of Fe and P in the apoplast was not responsible for Fe inactivation in roots. A negative correlation between chlorophyll index and hemicellulose-bound Fe in 85 inbred lines of the intermated maize B73 × Mo17 (IBM) population indicated that apoplastic Fe retention contributes to genotypic differences in chlorosis susceptibility of maize grown under low Fe supplies. Our study indicates that Fe retention in the hemicellulose fraction of roots is an important determinant in the tolerance to Fe deficiency-induced chlorosis of graminaceous plant species with low phytosiderophore release, like maize.