The investigation of the effects of magnesium and potassium nutrition and drought on phloem transport of zinc, magnesium and potassium in wheat (triticum aestivum cv. adana 99)

Drought and malnutrition are major environmental stress factors limiting plant production. In this study, the effects of magnesium (Mg) and potassium (K) nutrition on phloem transport of zinc (Zn), Mg and K have been investigated under control and drought conditions in wheat (Triticum aestivum cv. Adana 99). For this purpose, wheat plants were grown with low and adequate Mg and K treatments and drought stress under greenhouse and growth chamber conditions and changes in chlorophyll content (SPAD), shoot and grain yield, macro and micro elements level of shoot and grain (concentration and content) and changes in Zn mobilization in phloem were assessed by employing 65Zn and 70Zn isotope techniques. Experiments conducted in soil culture and hydrophonics have revealed that improving Mg and K nutrition resulted in significant increases in chlorophyll content (73%), shoot (30%) and grain (12%) yield, Zn uptake (27%) and translocation (75%). Increasing Mg and K applications have improved shoot (42%) and grain (24%) yields, and significantly enhanced Zn mobilization in phloem (71%) particularly under drought conditions. The results of this study have shown that it is very important to provide available nutritional quantity of Mg and K, and to increase their phloem transport for wheat varieties grow under different stress conditions such as drought and malnutrition, especially to develop resistance of wheat cultivars against drought stress by enrich ingredients of micronutrients in grains.