VARIATION AND INTERRELATIONS AMONG NUTRIENT ELEMENTS IN WHEAT LEAVES USED FOR FORAGE

Abstract

Dual purpose wheat provides valuable forage resources for cattle in the southern Great Plains during winter. In this study, 96 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) were analyzed for variation in concentrations of 11 mineral elements in leaves. The mean concentration was 133.4 mg kg⁻¹ for manganese (Mn) and 293 mg kg⁻¹ for iron (Fe), being much higher than the 30 mg kg ⁻¹ recommended for each of these two minor mineral elements. Mean concentrations of zinc (Zn) (24.1 mg kg⁻¹) and copper (Cu) (4.4 mg kg⁻¹) were much lower than recommended concentrations. A highly significant correlation was detected between major minerals, magnesium (Mg) and calcium (Ca) (r = 0.9272**) and between minor minerals, Fe and nickel (Ni) (r = 0.8905**). Copper had no significant correlation with any minerals except Zn (r = 0.2529*), whereas Zn had significant correlations with all of the tested minerals except Cu, Mn, and Ni. The interrelations between different minerals provided information for effective selection strategy for ideal mineral concentrations in breeding of dual purpose wheat.

Keywords:

• forage quality
• dual purpose wheat
• micronutrients
• macronutrient
• genetic variation

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

This study was supported by the Oklahoma Center for Advanced Science and Technology (OCAST), the Oklahoma Wheat Research Foundation, and the Oklahoma Agricultural Experiment Station.