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Abstract
Micronutrient deficiencies in the diet of many people are common and wheat is a staple food crop, providing a carbohydrate and micronutrient source to a large percentage of the world’s population. We conducted a field study to compare five Canadian red spring wheat cultivars (released over the last century) grown under organic and conventional management systems for yield, grain micronutrient concentration, and soil phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) profile. The organic system had higher grain Zn, Fe, Mg and K levels, but lower Se and Cu levels. There was no trend in the results to suggest that modern western Canadian hard red spring cultivars have lower grain micronutrient content than historical cultivars. Wheat cultivar choice is important for maximizing grain nutrient levels, which was influenced by management system. It is evident that the emphasis on elevated grain quality in the western Canadian hard red spring class has resulted in the retention of micronutrient quality characters. Three fungal PLFAs were indicators for the organic system, and all three of these indicators were positively correlated with grain Cu concentration. In the organic system, percent arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi were negatively correlated with grain Zn and Fe concentrations, and positively correlated with grain Mn, Cu, K concentrations and grain yield. The organic system had higher levels of fungi in the soil, including arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. Organic management practices appear to result in elevated levels of grain micronutrient concentration. The hard red spring breeding effort in and for the black soil zone of the northern Great Plains also appears to have led to no diminishment of grain micronutrient concentration. It is evident that both the agronomic system and breeding strategies in this region can be exploited for future increases in grain micronutrient concentration.
Highlights
Consumers purchase organic food products because they perceive these foods to have unique and/or superior quality attributes relative to conventional foods [1]
Ryan et al [14] reported that organic systems increased wheat grain Cu, N and Zn and decreased grain Fe and Mn, but concluded that differences in mineral contents were due to specific management practices chosen by producers, not from the overall management system
Wheat cultivar choice appears to be important for maximizing grain nutrient levels, and varies depending on the management system
Summary
Consumers purchase organic food products because they perceive these foods to have unique and/or superior quality attributes relative to conventional foods [1]. Despite the perceived benefits of consuming organic foods, organic certification is based on the process used to produce the good, not on the product itself; meaning that organic certification is not a guarantee of the quality attributes of the product [3]. Many of the perceived attributes of organic products cannot be measured, and necessitate faith on the part of the consumer that the desired attributes are present [4]. The essential trace elements Zn, copper (Cu) and Se are antioxidant micronutrients They play a key role in the body’s defenses against free radicals and reactive oxygen molecules as constituents of antioxidant exzymes..Increasing mineral nutrient content of crops, or biofortification, can help prevent nutrient deficiencies. Murphy et al [10] reported, in a Pacific Northwest
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