title: Supplemental macronutrients and microbial fermentation products improve the uptake and transport of foliar applied zinc in sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) plants. Studies utilizing micro X-ray florescence.
abstract: Enhancing nutrient uptake and the subsequent elemental transport from the sites of application to sites of utilization is of great importance to the science and practical field application of foliar fertilizers. The aim of this study was to investigate the mobility of various foliar applied zinc (Zn) formulations in sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) and to evaluate the effects of the addition of an organic biostimulant on phloem loading and elemental mobility. This was achieved by application of foliar formulations to the blade of sunflower (H. annuus L.) and high-resolution elemental imaging with micro X-ray fluorescence (μ-XRF) to visualize Zn within the vascular system of the leaf petiole. Although no significant increase of total Zn in petioles was determined by inductively-coupled plasma mass-spectrometer, μ-XRF elemental imaging showed a clear enrichment of Zn in the vascular tissues within the sunflower petioles treated with foliar fertilizers containing Zn. The concentration of Zn in the vascular of sunflower petioles was increased when Zn was applied with other microelements with EDTA (commercial product Kick-Off) as compared with an equimolar concentration of ZnSO4 alone. The addition of macronutrients N, P, K (commercial product CleanStart) to the Kick-Off Zn fertilizer, further increased vascular system Zn concentrations while the addition of the microbially derived organic biostimulant "GroZyme" resulted in a remarkable enhancement of Zn concentrations in the petiole vascular system. The study provides direct visualized evidence for phloem transport of foliar applied Zn out of sites of application in plants by using μ-XRF technique, and suggests that the formulation of the foliar applied Zn and the addition of the organic biostimulant GroZyme increases the mobility of Zn following its absorption by the leaf of sunflower.
authors: MOE Key Laboratory of Environment Remediation and Ecological Health, College of Environmental and Resource Science, Zhejiang University Hangzhou, China ; Department of Plant Sciences, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, USA.
authors: Shengke
authors: S
authors: Tian
authors: MOE Key Laboratory of Environment Remediation and Ecological Health, College of Environmental and Resource Science, Zhejiang University Hangzhou, China.
authors: Lingli
authors: L
authors: Lu
authors: MOE Key Laboratory of Environment Remediation and Ecological Health, College of Environmental and Resource Science, Zhejiang University Hangzhou, China ; Department of Plant Sciences, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, USA.
authors: Ruohan
authors: R
authors: Xie
authors: Department of Plant Sciences, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, USA.
authors: Minzhe
authors: M
authors: Zhang
authors: Department of Plant Sciences, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, USA.
authors: Judith A
authors: JA
authors: Jernstedt
authors: MOE Key Laboratory of Environment Remediation and Ecological Health, College of Environmental and Resource Science, Zhejiang University Hangzhou, China.
authors: Dandi
authors: D
authors: Hou
authors: Ag Spectrum Company Vero Beach, FL, USA.
authors: Cliff
authors: C
authors: Ramsier
authors: Department of Plant Sciences, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, USA.
authors: Patrick H
authors: PH
authors: Brown
keywords: biostimulant; foliar fertilizer; microbial fermentation; remobilization; sunflower; zinc; μ-XRF
references: New Phytol. 2011 Jan;189(2):438-48
references: 21029104
references: PLoS One. 2013;8(2):e57360
references: 23451212
references: Plant Physiol. 1957 Sep;32(5):428-35
references: 16655025
references: Front Plant Sci. 2013 Aug 16;4:320
references: 23967006
references: Appl Microbiol Biotechnol. 2012 Sep;95(5):1105-14
references: 22752367
references: J Exp Bot. 2014 Mar;65(4):953-64
references: 24420564
references: New Phytol. 2013 May;198(3):721-31
references: 23421478
references: Antonie Van Leeuwenhoek. 2013 Sep;104(3):321-30
references: 23812968
references: Front Plant Sci. 2013 Jan 31;4:10
references: 23386858
references: Front Plant Sci. 2013 Jul 31;4:289
references: 23914198
references: Biol Trace Elem Res. 1998 Winter;66(1-3):39-53
references: 10050906
references: J Agric Food Chem. 2014 May 21;62(20):4738-46
references: 24806959
references: Ann Bot. 2009 Mar;103(5):665-72
references: 19182222
references: Trends Plant Sci. 2014 Mar;19(3):183-92
references: 24394523