Elements In Grains Research Articles

Content of inorganic elements in rice grain depending on irrigation methods

Purpose. To study the content of heavy metals in the grain of two varieties of rice under different irrigation conditions. To estimate the content of basic microelements – components of redox systems of plants in the grain of rice for biofortification and inhibition of heavy metal accumulation. Methods. Plants of rice varieties ‘Consul’ and ‘Viscount’ were grown on the experimental fields of the Rice Institute of NAAS of Ukraine during flooding or drip irrigation. Grain samples were digested for analysis by microwave sample preparation in nitric acid on Milestone Start D. The content of inorganic elements was determined by ICP-MS method on Agilent 7700x in helium flow mode. Calibration solutions from Inorganic Ventures, USA were used.Results. Compared to flood irrigation, the introduction of drip irrigation leads to a 2.3–3 times decrease in the accumulation of arsenic in the grain. The increase in cadmium and strontium accumulation was found. Drip irrigation also increases the accumulation of trace elements in grain – components of redox systems of plants (copper, zinc, manganese). A slight decrease in iron content is probably associated with the activation of mechanisms for blocking the inflow and reuse of arsenic into the grain. The yield of rice varieties was higher during flooding. In the case of ‘Viscount’ and ‘Consul’, it was 9.35 and 11.76 t/ha in the case of flooding, and 6.80 and 9.30 t/ha in the case of drip irrigation, respectively. The content of inorganic elements/ ash content is significantly lower in the variety ‘Consul’. This is probably due to the dissolution of elements in the biomass with high productivity of this variety. Conclusions. The natural contamination of rice crops with arsenic limits the nutritional value of the crop. The introduction of drip irr igation of r ice crops signif icantly reduces the accumulation of highly toxic arsenic in the grain, which is especially important for children food. The increase in cadmium and strontium accumulation determined by drip irr igation leads to high equirements for the quality of phosphate fer tilizers used in crop cultivation echnologies. Introduction of drip irr igation optimizes the aerobic conditions of ion supply, which leads t o i nc r ea s ed accumul at i on of t r ace e l ement s – components of redox systems of plants. The only exception is a slight decrease in iron content , which is probably associated with the activation of mechanisms of inhibition of the inflow of arsenic to the grain of rice. At the same time, there is a slight decrease in the productivity of crops. Thus, under drip irr igation there is an increase in the accumulation of biologically important metals and a decrease in the accumulation of highly toxic arsenic.

Selected soil water tensions at phenological phases and mineral content of trace elements in rice grains – mitigating arsenic by water management

The adoption of water-saving practices in rice cultivation modifies soil water tension regime, then influencing accumulation of chemical elements in rice grains. Some studies report higher concentrations of arsenic (As) in rice grains produced in anaerobic soils, compared to those produced in aerobic soils. However, there is a lack of information about the association between water stress imposed at distinct phenological phases of rice and the accumulation of chemical elements in grains. The aim of the present work was to determine the levels of As, Cd, Co, Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn, Ni, Pb, Se and Zn in husked grains of three rice varieties cultivated under different soil water tensions, imposed at distinct phases of the development. The study was conducted during 3 years with 3 rice varieties. The higher soil water tension in vegetative phase influenced Cd accumulation, Mn, Cu and Co. The reproductive phase 1 (panicle initiation - anthesis) is the main phase regarding uptake of chemical elements, when the highest soil water tension implied the lowest As accumulation in grains concomitantly with increase of toxic elements Cd and Pb, although keeping them below the threshold levels determined by FAO/WHO, and essential elements as Mn, Zn, Se, Cu, Co and Ni. The increased soil water tension in reproductive phase 2 (anthesis - ripening) decreased the levels of Pb in BRS Pampa. There is association among the contents of chemical elements (especially Cd, As and Pb) in grains, rice variety, grain yield and irrigation scheduling, especially for As.

Influence of cultivation technologies on the content of trace elements and heavy metals in winter wheat plants

Research to study the effect of growing technologies of different intensities on the content of trace elements and heavy metals in winter wheat grain and straw and their removal has been carried out. It is determined that with increasing doses of fertilizers the content of heavy metals and trace elements in grain and straw increases. It was experimentally proved that under the researched growing technologies there was no significant accumulation of copper, zinc, cadmium, manganese and iron in the varieties of winter wheat Slavna and Tsarivna. Magnitudes of removal of trace elements and heavy metals by the grain and straw yields of the studied winter wheat varieties, depending on the cultivation technology were determined. It was established that the alienation of trace elements and heavy metals by the yield of grain and straw of this crop was determined by the degree of intensity of the cultivation technology, the value of the crop and the biological characteristics of the variety.

Barothermal Processing of Animal Feed Ingredients

Introduction. The article substantiates the need for high-temperature processing of feed ingredients. Principles of operation and design features of the applied methods and equipment for feed production are considered. Phase transitions, along with advantages and energy, technological, and technical drawbacks are highlighted. The aim of the study is to justify a possibility of creating high-efficiency production lines using heat treatment of feeds by application of heat valves ensuring continuous loading of raw materials into a reactor and discharge of the treated feed at high pressures and temperatures. Materials and Methods. It is proposed to transfer the process of barothermal processing to a higher zone of the phase diagram of the system p,t (pressure and temperature). This is a section of the superheated steam zone with temperature 300–374 °C, pressure 12–21 MPa and treatment exposure 30–60 seconds, which replaces costly processes of normalizing, expansion, extrusion and granulation. The change in enthalpy in the pressure range 0–21 MPa and temperature range 0–600 °C is shown. Thermal modes are presented as formulas which is the basic condition for the use of digital technologies. Results. The design of the reactor with a thermal gate for loading and unloading, being the main unit of the production line of the feed heat treatment, was proposed. The results of the study are fundamental for the development of the sample flow low-capacity line. Discussion and Conclusion. The transfer of the process of barothermic processing of feed into the zone of superheated steam allows for the transfer of poorly digestible elements of grain and legumes in easily digestible, pathogen-free feed. Advantages of the reactor and line include the user-friendly design, energy saving and possibility of implementation of advanced digital technologies.

Probabilistic Approach to the Separation of Grain Material

Possible ways to improve operating elements of grain cleaning machines due to mobilization factors directly influence on qualitative and quantitative aspects of separation are presented. In relation to sieve grain cleaning machine the technological process of grain mixture separation on the sieve is presented as a block diagram. Some variants of mathematical description (models) consideration of grain material separation process are also given. The dependencies between parameters of grain material and uniformity of seed distribution on sieve area are given. Calculation formulas and schemes of definition probability of a particle entering the hole are presented. It is established, that in the range β from 0 to 30° probability of particle passage increases from 0.315 to 0.548, that is 1.74 times.

Content Analysis of Zn, Pb, Cd and Cu Heavy Metal Elements in Grains

Content Analysis of Zn, Pb, Cd and Cu Heavy Metal Elements in Grains

Selenium decreases methylmercury and increases nutritional elements in rice growing in mercury-contaminated farmland

Methylmercury (MeHg) in rice grains grown in Hg-contaminated areas has raised environmental health concerns. Pot experiments found that selenium (Se) could reduce MeHg levels in rice grains. However, relatively high levels of Se (up to 6 mg/kg) were applied in these pot experiments, which may have adverse effects on the soil ecology due to the toxicity of Se. The aims of this work were thus to study 1) the effect of low levels of Se on the accumulation and distribution of Hg, especially MeHg, in rice plants grown in a real Hg-contaminated paddy field and 2) the effect of Se treatment on Se and other nutritional elements (e.g., Cu, Fe, Zn) in grains. A field study amended with different levels of Se was carried out in Hg-contaminated paddy soil in Qingzhen, Guizhou, China. The levels of MeHg and total Hg were studied using cold vapor atomic fluorescence spectrometry (CVAFS) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The distribution and relative quantification of elements in grains were examined by synchrotron radiation X-ray fluorescence analysis (SR-XRF). This field study showed that low levels of Se (0.5 μg/mL, corresponding to 0.15 mg Se/kg soils) could significantly reduce total Hg and MeHg in rice tissues. Se treatment also reduced Hg distribution in the embryo and endosperm and increased the levels of Fe, Cu, Zn and Se in grains and especially embryos. This field study implied that treatment with an appropriate level of Se is an effective approach to not only decrease the level of MeHg but to also increase the levels of nutritional elements such as Fe, Cu, Zn and Se in rice grains, which could bring beneficial effects for rice-dependent residents living in Hg-contaminated areas.

Genetic mapping of QTL for agronomic traits and grain mineral elements in rice

Malnutrition is one of the prevailing health problems worldwide, affecting a large proportion of the populations in rice-consuming countries. Breeding rice varieties with increased concentrations of elements in the grain is considered the most cost-effective approach to alleviate malnutrition. Development of molecular markers for high grain concentrations of essential elements, particularly Zn, for use in marker-assisted selection (MAS) can hasten breeding efforts to develop rice varieties with nutrient-dense grain. We performed QTL mapping for four agronomic traits: days to 50% flowering, plant height, number of tillers, grain yield, and 13 grain elements: As, B, Ca, Co, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Mo, Na, P, and Zn, in two doubled-haploid populations derived from the crosses IR64 × IR69428 and BR29 × IR75862. These populations were phenotyped during 2015DS and 2015WS at IRRI, Los Baños, The Philippines, and genotyped them with a 6 K SNP chip. Inclusive composite interval mapping revealed 15 QTL for agronomic traits and 50 QTL for grain element concentration. Of these, eight QTL showed phenotypic variance of >25% and 11 QTL were consistent across seasons. There were seven QTL co-localization regions containing QTL for more than two traits. Twenty five epistatic interactions were detected for two agronomic traits and seven mineral elements. Several DH lines with high Fe and Zn in polished rice were identified. These lines can be used as donors for breeding high-Zn rice varieties. Some of the major QTL can be further validated and used in MAS to improve the concentrations of nutritive elements in rice grain.

Effect of cadmium on mineral composition of rice grain

The use of phosphate fertilizers plays a significant role in cadmium (Cd) accumulation in the soil. In this regards the purpose of our work was to study the effect of Cd on content of mineral elements in the grain of rice varieties. Plants were grown in pots filled with soil, containing 2 mmol/kg of CdSO4. Cadmium was not found in rice grain. The content of mineral elements in grain of rice varieties is decreased in the following order (% of control): Mg-Bakanaskyi (98) > Madina (93) > Chapsari (86%) > Barakat (84); Mn-Bakanaskyi (85) > Chapsari (72) > Madina (71) > Barakat (64); Fe-Madina (89) > Bakanaskyi (72) > Chapsari (57) > Barakat (48); Zn-Madina (93) > Bakanaskyi (87) = Chapsari (87) > Barakat (85); Cu-Chapsari (90) > Bakanaskyi (89) > Madina (83) > Barakat (73). Cadmium decreased the content of necessary mineral elements in rice grain. Content of Mg and Mn decreased in the least degree in Bakanaskyi cv; Fe and Zn content-in Madina variety; Cu content-in Chapsari cv. Under cadmium stress content of mineral elements decreased in the greatest degree in Barakat and Chapsari cvs.

Quasi-static and shock-wave loading of ultrafine-grained aluminum: effect of microstructural characteristics

The interrelation between microstructural characteristics and mechanical properties under quasi-static and shock-wave (dynamic) loading was investigated in ultrafine-grained aluminum processed by accumulative roll bonding (ARB) for 4, 7, 10 and 14 cycles. The microstructural parameters such as the size of the elements of grain–subgrain structure, grain size and fraction of high-angle grain boundaries were obtained using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and electron back scatter diffraction (EBSD). Indentation and tensile tests at the strain rate of 1 × 10−4 s−1 were applied as the quasi-static loading, the impact by aluminum flyer-plates with the impact velocity of 620 ± 30 m s−1 was the shock-wave loading. The strain rate in the rarefaction wave before spall fracture was 2 × 105–7 × 105 s−1 in the latter case. It is shown that the dislocation substructures and low-angle subboundaries significantly affect the strength properties under quasi-static conditions, while the grain size (the areas bounded by only high-angle boundaries) and fraction of high-angle grain boundaries mainly define the dynamic strength properties. The different influence of the microstructural characteristics on the quasi-static and dynamic mechanical properties is related to the easier dislocation cross-slip under high strain rates.

Hidden Nickel Deficiency? Nickel Fertilization via Soil Improves Nitrogen Metabolism and Grain Yield in Soybean Genotypes.

Nickel (Ni)—a component of urease and hydrogenase—was the latest nutrient to be recognized as an essential element for plants. However, to date there are no records of Ni deficiency for annual species cultivated under field conditions, possibly because of the non-appearance of obvious and distinctive symptoms, i.e., a hidden (or latent) deficiency. Soybean, a crop cultivated on soils poor in extractable Ni, has a high dependence on biological nitrogen fixation (BNF), in which Ni plays a key role. Thus, we hypothesized that Ni fertilization in soybean genotypes results in a better nitrogen physiological function and in higher grain production due to the hidden deficiency of this micronutrient. To verify this hypothesis, two simultaneous experiments were carried out, under greenhouse and field conditions, with Ni supply of 0.0 or 0.5 mg of Ni kg−1 of soil. For this, we used 15 soybean genotypes and two soybean isogenic lines (urease positive, Eu3; urease activity-null, eu3-a, formerly eu3-e1). Plants were evaluated for yield, Ni and N concentration, photosynthesis, and N metabolism. Nickel fertilization resulted in greater grain yield in some genotypes, indicating the hidden deficiency of Ni in both conditions. Yield gains of up to 2.9 g per plant in greenhouse and up to 1,502 kg ha−1 in field conditions were associated with a promoted N metabolism, namely, leaf N concentration, ammonia, ureides, urea, and urease activity, which separated the genotypes into groups of Ni responsiveness. Nickel supply also positively affected photosynthesis in the genotypes, never causing detrimental effects, except for the eu3-a mutant, which due to the absence of ureolytic activity accumulated excess urea in leaves and had reduced yield. In summary, the effect of Ni on the plants was positive and the extent of this effect was controlled by genotype-environment interaction. The application of 0.5 mg kg−1 of Ni resulted in safe levels of this element in grains for human health consumption. Including Ni applications in fertilization programs may provide significant yield benefits in soybean production on low Ni soil. This might also be the case for other annual crops, especially legumes.

Variation of major minerals and trace elements in grains of some tatary buckwheat (fagopyrum tataricum gaertn.) grown in Himachal Pradesh

Variation of major minerals and trace elements in grains of some tatary buckwheat (fagopyrum tataricum gaertn.) grown in Himachal Pradesh

РЕАКЦИЯ ЯРОВОЙ ПШЕНИЦЫ ИРЕНЬ НА АБИОТИЧЕСКИЕ УСЛОВИЯ ХИМИЧЕСКИМ СОСТАВОМ ЗЕРНА

The problem of the chemical composition of fruits and seeds of field crops, depending on abiotic conditions, requires further investigation and is an urgent task. The aim of the research was to study the reaction of spring wheat Iren to abiotic conditions by the chemical composition of the grain. The research tasks are to determine the chemical composition of grain by 70 elements; to reveal differences in the content of chemical elements in grains, grown in various abiotic conditions. The object of research is the grains of spring wheat of Iren variety. Samples of Iren spring wheat grains of 2014 and 2015 years harvest were taken to determine the content of 70 chemical elements Agricultural consumers’ co-operative named after Michurin of Vavozhskiy district of the Udmurt Republic. The content of 70 chemical elements in grain was determined in the Analytical Certified Testing Center (ACTC) of All-Russian Scientific Research Institute of Mineral Raw Materials named after N.M. Fedorovskiy (VIMS). The analysis method is mass-spectral with inductively coupled plasma (MS) + atomic emission with inductively coupled plasma (AE) according to the NSAM technique №512-MS. The reaction of Irene spring wheat to abiotic conditions was expressed by a different content of 45 chemical elements in the grains. The concentration of 25 chemical elements in the grain over the years of research did not differ. Grain, grown in the abiotic conditions of 2014, contained more lithium, boron, sodium, aluminum, calcium, vanadium, chromium, cobalt, nickel, copper, zinc, gallium, germanium, arsenic, selenium, rubidium, yttrium, zirconium, niobium, palladium, tin, lanthanum, cerium, neodymium, hafnium, tantalum, tungsten, iridium, mercury, lead, thorium. In the abiotic conditions of 2015, the grains had a higher content of magnesium - by 255.3, silicon by 6.1, phosphorus by 738.8, sulfur by 153.2, potassium by 871.9, titanium by 6 , 23, manganese - by 19.4, iron - by 9.6 μg / g, relative to similar indicators in the grain crop of 2014.

Changes in the elemental composition of winter wheat plants caused by the action of Megafol and retardants

In the conditions of the field experiments conducted during the 2015–2016 vegetation seasons retardants Medax Top, 1.0 l/ha (prohexadione-Са and mepiquat-chloride), appeared more effective than Terpal, 1.5 l/ha (mepiquat-chloride and ethephon), on field plots with high-yield varieties. Foliar application of Megafol promoted the productivity of winter wheat varieties Smuglyanka and Podolyanka and reduced the negative influence of retardants on the wheat plants in the vegetation seasons which were characterized by moisture deficit. The influence of modern retardants – prohexadione-Ca + mepiquat-chloride (Medax Top) and mepiquat-chloride + etefone (Terpal, both BASF, Germany) on the accumulation of some macro- and micronutrients in winter wheat plants was determined. The assays were performed on an ICP-MS Agilent 7700x mass spectrometer (Agilent Technologies, USA) with ICP-MS Mass Hunter WorkStation. Samples of winter wheat plants were taken in the phase of flowering and grain ripening. The samples were dried, homogenized, 0.400 gof weight was dissolved in ICP-grade nitric acid in the Milestone Start D (Milestone Inc., USA). All solutions were prepared on 1st class water (18 MΩ cm–1) obtained on the Scholar-UV Nex Up 1000 (Human Corporation, Korea) water purification system. The ICP-MS Complete Standard IV-ICPMS-71A was used as the external standard, and the internal standard was Sc, both of Inorganic Ventures, USA. According to the ICP-MS results of plant samples of winter wheat of Smuglylanka and Podolanka, it has been shown that, in conditions of wheat growing on light soils of Polissya, modern compositional retardants affect the ionome of plants during vegetation, as well as change the content of inorganic elements in the grain. It was found that winter wheat of middle-stem Podolyanka type, of the intensive type, reacted more responsively to retardant treatment than the short-stem-type highly intensive Smuglyanka type. At the same time, there was an increase in the content of nutrients in winter wheat of the Podolyanka variety. It should be noted that wheat grain of the Smuglyanka variety contained a significantly higher pool of macro- and trace elements than the Podolyanka variety. It was established that the treatment of winter wheat Podolyanka varieties by mepiquat-chloride and ethephon (Terpal, 1.5 l/ha) positively influenced the accumulation of potassium, magnesium and calcium and manganese, copper and zinc in the grain. We found that foliar application of compositions of amino acids simultaneously with retardants can reduce the negative action of PGR’s on formation of the harvest in conditions of drought and influence the maintenance of composition of inorganic elements in the plants and in the grain. The composition of retardants with the content of cyclohexadione derivative (Medax Top) also significantly influenced the changes in the content of inorganic elements in plants and grains. We note the significant increase in the content of magnesium in the leaves and in grain due to the action of Medax Top. These differences in reaction of winter wheat varieties to the action of retardants of the class of cyclohexadione are important for clarifying the systems of nutrition of crops in intensive growing technologies, especially in the conditions of drought and high temperatures. Reduction in the pools of a number of inorganic elements in plants, for example iron, by the action of retardants may be due to the constraints on the entry of these elements from the poor soils of the Polissya zone and should be compensated via foliar nutrition. Also, the peculiarities of the activity of plant growth regulators have been shown to indicate a close relationship between signal systems of plants and changes in ionome.

Application of Thermochemistry and X-ray Semi-Quantitative Phase Analysis in Forsterite Powder Synthesis by Solid State Reaction of Magnesium Oxide and Mg-Chlorite

ABSTRACTIn this paper, high purity forsterite powder with anorthite grain boundary has been synthesized by solid state reaction of industrial grade magnesium oxide and Mg-chlorite at 1100°C. ASTM C547 and X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) were used for chemical and phase analysis of raw materials. For microstructural analysis of prepared specimens, XRD and back scatter scanning electron microscopy (BS-SEM) were used. BS-SEM and elements mapping show the distribution of Mg, Si and O elements in grains, and point analysis of these elements shows the portion of atomic percent as forsterite. The detected elements in grain boundary are Si, Al, Ca and O; and based on XRD pattern of the specimens, the anorthite phase is detected. MAUD software was used for semi-quantitative analysis of phases based on Rietveld method in TC specimen, the amounts of detected phases are 15.6 wt% free periclase and 84.4 wt% forsterite that are very close to calculated amounts for 12.89 wt% free periclase and 87.11 wt% forsterite. The amount of forming phases strongly depends on well mixing, soaking time and temperature, and reactivity of raw materials.

Limitation of multi-elemental fingerprinting of wheat grains: Effect of cultivar, sowing date, and nutrient management

Multi-element fingerprinting demonstrates some potential for tracing the origin of agricultural products but not for discriminating among crop cultivars and nutrient management (source, rate). With principal component analysis (PCA) and univariate statistics, we examined 19 elements in grains from two winter wheat cultivars (Hereford, Mariboss) grown with different rates of animal manure (AM) or mineral fertilisers (NPK) in a long-term field experiment and two sowing dates (early, timely).Nitrogen, Cd and Mn related to NPK, and Mo and Na to AM. Barium, Fe, and P reflected nutrient rate; these elements increased with nutrient rate regardless of source. Unmanured grains were enriched in Cu. Mariboss was characterized by higher concentrations of Sr, Ba and Sc compared to Hereford with Sr in grain as the main separator. Univariate statistics showed higher concentrations of N, P, Mg, Ba, Cu, Mo and Zn in early sown than in timely sown wheat. Compared with Hereford grains Mariboss was higher in P, Mg, Ba, Cu and Sr but lower in Mn, Mo and Zn. Thus, confounding effects of cultivar, sowing date, nutrient source and rate limits the potential of multi-element analysis in discriminating among agricultural products from different sites and cropping systems.

Variability of mass and content of mineral elements in grains of the common bean cultivar Pérola

The cultivar Perola is the most widely bean cultivar cropped. In the market, it is a reference in grain size, which is related to its mass, which, in turn, is influenced by the growing conditions. The objective was to quantify the 100-grain mass and the contents of mineral elements in the common bean cultivar Perola, coming from the municipality of Cristalina, Goias. It was selected 18 different areas in the city, under center pivot irrigation, where 86 samples of grains were collected during the crop harvest. The data were submitted to univariate statistical analysis, calculating maximum and minimum values, averages, amplitude of variation and coefficients of variation. It was determined the values of Pearson correlation between the contents of mineral elements in the grains. The 100-grain mass had wide range of values, from 17.30 to 33.50 grams. The composition of minerals in beans was, in descending order, N, K, P, Mg, Ca, S, Fe, Zn, Mn, B, Cu, Mo, Co. There was a significant correlation between the mineral elements present in beans, highlighting the correlation of K with S, Cu, Fe, B, Mn, Co and Mo.

Maize inbreds from different heterotic groups as favorable sources for increased potential bioavailability of magnesium, iron, manganese and zinc

Malnutrition, as a global problem, is mainly caused by low level of mineral elements in staple food (deficient soil). Biofortification is based on selection of genotypes with enhanced concentration of mineral elements in grain, as well as decreased concentration of substances which interfere bioavailability of mineral elements in gut (like phytic acid), and increased content of substances that increase availability (such as β-carotene). The experiment with 51 maize (Zea mays L.) inbred lines with different heterotic background was set up in order to evaluate chemical composition of grain and to determine the relations between phytic acid (PA), β-carotene, and mineral elements: Mg, Fe, Mn, and Zn. The highest average phytate, β-carotene, Fe, and Mn content was found in grain of inbreds from Lancaster heterotic group. The highest content of Mg was in grain of Independent source and Zn in grain of BSSS group. Increased level of Fe and Mn in Lancaster lines could be partially affected by higher PA content in grain, while increased β-carotene content could improve Mn and Zn availability from grain of BSSS genotypes and Mg availability from Lancaster inbreds. It is important to underline that PA reduction is followed by Zn content increase in grain of Lancaster heterotic group, as well as that variations in Mg, Fe, and Mn contents are independent on PA status in inbreds from Independent source, indicating that the genotypes with higher Mg, Fe and Mn status from this group could serve as favorable source for improved Mg, Fe, and Mn absorption.

Herbicidal effect in relation to the accumulation of macroelements and its regulation by regulators of polyamine synthesis

Stress effects of triazine herbicide on cumulating of important macroelements (phosphorus, potassium, calcium and magnesium) into the grain of barley variety Kompakt, as well as the elimination of its negative effect through the addition of regulators of polyamine synthesis (γ-aminobutyric acid and propylenediamine) were investigated in pot trial. These morphoregulators are degrading products of polyamines and hypothetically after foliar application they should support their biosynthesis which increased level act against stress in plants. Application of the herbicide alone in comparison to control variant reduced the contents of all mentioned macroelements in grain of barley and also in variants, where the mixtures of herbicide with regulators of polyamine biosynthesis were applied, also the values of contents of all macroelements (except of magnesium) in barley grain were reduced (in comparison to this variant). It could be summarized that the presence of regulators in mixtures with triazine herbicide in comparison to control variant had not positive effects on contents of these biogenic elements in grain. By the comparison of variant with the applied herbicide with variants, where also regulators of polyamine synthesis were applied, there was the most positive influence of these mixtures of morphoregulators on statistically non-significant accumulation of phosphorus into generative organs of spring barley and in the case of positive accumulation of magnesium into these plant tissues there was statistically significant relation only after application of mixtures of herbicide with propylenediamine. Positive influence on accumulation of calcium was evaluated only after using of mixtures of herbicide with propylenediamine (statistically significant relation was recorded at the dose 29.6 g.ha-1).

Identification of quantitative trait loci for mineral elements in grains and grass powder of barley.

Mineral elements in barley (Hordeum vulgare) play an important physiological role in global human health. In this study, quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for concentration of nine mineral elements in barley grain and grass powder were detected in a population of 193 recombinant inbred lines of the barley cross Ziguangmangluoerling x Schooner and the parents. We observed large genetic variation contributing to element concentrations in both grains and grass powder. The mean K, Ca, and Fe concentrations in grass powder were 6.67, 12.00, and 4.58 times that of regenerating barley grains. In grains, 17 QTLs that accounted for 6.36-64.08% of the phenotypic variation in Zn, Mg, Ca, K, Na, Mn, Fe, and P concentrations were identified. In grass powder, seven QTLs were identified; these accounted for 6.03-21.86% of the variation in Ca, Zn, Mg, K, Fe, and Cu concentrations. These QTLs affecting elements in grain and grass powder are so far unreported in barley. To our knowledge, QTLs with pleiotropic effects for three elements were also identified for the first time in barley. The qK1/qMg1/qCa1 region between markers Bmag0211 and GBMS0014 on chromosome 1H was shown to have large additive effects for Mg, Ca, and K concentrations in grains. These additive effects indicated that the high element (Mg, Ca, Zn, Mn, and K) alleles were contributed by Ziguangmangluoerling. These results will further our understanding of the genetic basis of mineral elements and help us develop markers linked with mineral elements for marker-assisted selection breeding in barley.