The Effects of Iron and Manganese Deficiencies on Accumulation of Nonprotein and Protein Amino Acids in Macadamia Leaves1

Abstract

Abstract The effects of Fe-deficiency and Mn-deficiency in macadamia leaves on the accumulation of free amino acids and total amino acids (free plus protein amino acids) were studied in water vs. sand culture. Leaves showing severe Fe-deficiency symptoms contained substantially higher concentrations of free histidine, aspartic acid, threonine, serine, glutamic acid, proline, alanine, valine, and tyrosine than analogous control leaves. The sum of the individual free amino acids were 177% higher in the Fe-deficient leaves than in the control leaves. Mn-deficient leaves, containing .0003% Mn, had significantly higher concentrations of free aspartic acid, threonine, glutamic acid, proline, alanine, valine, isoleucine, leucine, tryosine, and phenylalanine than analogous control leaves. The sum of the free amino acids in Mn-deficient leaves was 85% higher than in the analogous leaves from the control plants. In chlorotic Fe-deficient leaves the concentrations of total lysine, histidine, ammonia, arginine, aspartic acid, methionine, and leucine were significantly higher than in control leaves. Mn-deficient leaves contained significantly higher amounts of total lysine, histidine, ammonia, aspartic acid, threonine, serine, glutamic acid, proline, glycine, alanine, valine, methionine, isoleucine, leucine and phenylalanine than control leaves. The concentrations of free lysine, histidine, aspartic acid, glutamic acid, proline, alanine, and valine were higher in the leaves of plants grown in sand culture. The total ammonia, threonine, methionine, leucine, tyrosine, and phenylalanine were lower in the leaves of plants grown in water culture. Total arginine was higher in leaves from the sand culture. There were several significant interactions between treatments and culture media on the accumulation of free and total amino acids in the Fe- or Mn-deficient leaves.