The effect of iron source on formation and persistence of root iron pools in cereals

Abstract

Five chelated iron sources have been applied to barley and maize to investigate the effect of differing chemical form on the formation and persistence of root apoplastic Fe pools. Short-term Fe exposure (barley) experiments indicated that the charged state of the Fe complex was the most important factor regulating the initial formation and magnitude of the apoplastic pool. Longer term experiments (maize), incorporating a period of Fe deprivation, produced more complex results. Differences in plant growth during the experiment produced changes in the magnitude of the root Fe pool; these interacted with the chemical form of the applied Fe to regulate the release, utilisation and hence the ultimate size of the apoplastic pool produced by each Fe source. It is concluded that such experiments are poor indicators of the potential performance of novel chelated Fe sources.

Keywords:

• Chelate
• iron
• root
• uptake
• cereals