Transections staining values analysis reveals iron concentration variation in wheat grain tissues over cultivars and sites

Abstract

Information on the distribution and concentration of iron (Fe) in different grain tissues in staple crops is required to alleviate the problem of human iron deficiency. A new method was established to quantitatively assay the Fe concentration and distribution in wheat grain tissues by the chromatic values obtained from images of stained grain transections, and variations of grain tissue Fe concentration and distribution were analyzed for different wheat cultivars and over sites in the present study. Obtained results showed that concentration of Fe was higher in aleurone and scutellum, and lower in endosperm of wheat grains. The concentration of Fe in grain tissues had significant differences among cultivars and over sites, especially in the crease aleurone layer and endosperm between the two experimental regions. The Fe in the scutellum, crease aleurone layer, and endosperm were found to be the main contributors to the whole grain Fe in the North of China, and in the South that was the endosperm, scutellum, crease and the aleurone layer. In conclusion, this research established a new method for the quantitative determination of Fe concentration and distribution in wheat grain tissues and provided information for improving the agronomic measures and wheat breeding for biofortification of Fe.