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Abstract
Phosphorus (P)–zinc (Zn) interactions in two barley cultivars (Clipper and Sahara) differing in P and Zn efficiencies were investigated in a pot experiment carried out in a growth chamber. A highly calcareous field soil from a semi‐arid region of South Australia was used. Five levels of P addition and three levels of Zn addition were used. Plants were harvested five weeks after emergence. Increase in P supply significantly increased plant shoot biomass and tissue P concentrations in both cultivars, indicating that the soil used is P deficient. Zinc additions with low P additions caused slight decreases in plant biomass. However, Zn addition did increase plant growth when higher levels of P were applied demonstrating the importance of the balance Zn and P supply. Results showed that the genotypic difference between the two cultivars in P uptake efficiency (specific P uptake, SPU) can be altered by Zn–P interactions, and that total Zn uptake by Sahara was higher than Clipper irrespective of P supply. Tissue Zn concentrations decreased significantly with an increase in P supply in both cultivars. Increase in P supply drastically reduced the molar ratio of Zn to P in shoots (MRZP), and addition of Zn compensated for the reduction in MRZP due to P addition. The role of P–Zn interactions in the context of nutritional quality of plant food is also discussed.
Acknowledgments
We wish to thank Corporative Research Centre for Molecular Plant Breeding and South Australian Grain Industry Trust Fund for financial support. H.‐Y. Li was in receipt of the KC Wong Fellowship from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing. Technical assistance from Andrew Barritt is greatly appreciated. We also would like to thank Ms Teresa Fowles, Adelaide University for ICP analyses.
