Elements In Grains Research Articles

Determination of some macro and micro elements in grain of winter barley genotypes

The objective of this paper is to determine the content of some macro and micro elements in grain of winter barley genotypes. As experimental material, total 21 two row barley genotypes were used with Macedonian, Serbian, Croatian and Bulgarian origin. The research was conducted during the period of 2012-2014 on the field of the Faculty of Agriculture, in two locations in the Republic of Macedonia, as follows: Ovche Pole and Strumica. The dissolution of grain from barley genotypes was performed using the microwave system. The content of Sodium, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Calcium, Iron, Copper and Zinc was determined by mass spectrometry with inductively coupled plasma (ICP-MS). Average values for mineral content in all genotypes grown in Strumica locality were higher than the same varieties cultivated in Ovche Pole locality. In Ovche Pole and Strumica the highest level of element was determined for Phosphorus, followed by Magnesium < Calcium < Sodium < Iron < Zinc and Copper in mg/kg. In both locations the maximum content of Magnesium was obtained in genotype Line 2 and Sodium in genotype Izvor. The correlation coefficient between content of elements and grain yield was not significant in both locations.

Contents of mineral elements in grain of different rice varieties

It was studied the content of mineral elements such as magnesium (Mg), iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), manganese (Mn), copper (Cu),as well as cadmium (Cd) in grains of different rice varieties.The objects of research were different varieties of rice (Oryza sativa L.).Bakanassky RM-2000-183 – maturing rice variety, completely adapted tothe conditions in the rice-growing Akdalinski irrigation array (Balkhash district of Almaty region, “Birlik” LLP); Marzhan – middle-grade (originatorKazakh Research Institute of Rice, Kyzylorda, were zoned in 1987 for theKyzylorda region; Violetta – glutinous variety of rice (Rice Research Institute, 2001; Krasnodar, Russia), and Anayt, Fisht – amylose rice varieties ofRussian breeding; Barakat – Chinese variety, Chapsari – Korean rice variety with a high content of gluten. The magnesium content was highest invarieties Anayt, Marzhan and Madina. The lowest magnesium content wasfound in the variety Bakanas. The remaining varieties occupied an intermediate position on magnesium content. Rice varieties on the magnesiumcontent are located in the following order (µg/g): Anayt (1746.0)&gt;Marzhan(1632.0)&gt;Madina (1622.0)&gt;Violetta (1421.0)&gt;Fischt (1344.0)&gt;Barakat(1259.0)&gt;Chapsari (1213.0)&gt;Baқanas (1205.0). Manganese contained inthe largest amount in the grain of Chapsarivarieties, the least amount ofmanganese found in grains of Fisht and Bakanasvarieties. According tothe content of manganese in grain varieties were located as follows (g / g):Chapsari (33.9)&gt;Barakat (25.0)&gt;Madina (21.5)&gt;Marjane (20.5)&gt;Anahit (19.8)&gt;Violetta (19.4)&gt;Fischt (16.45)&gt;Baқanas (14.8). The highestiron content found in grains of Bakanas variety. Marzhan, Barakat, Violettavarieties are distinguished by low iron content (10,45-11,5 µg/g). The remaining varieties occupy an intermediate position: Anay variety have thehighest concentration of magnesium, in Chapsari variety was detected thehighest content of manganese in comparison with other studied varieties.Bakanas cultivar contained the highest amount of iron. Fischt and Barakatvarieties have a relatively low number of investigated elements.Key words: rice, cadmium, growth, stability, variety

The elemental composition of grains of winer wheat for pre-treatment of manganese sulphate

The research has been aimed at definition of bioavailable forms of selected trace elements (Mn, Cu, Zn, Co) in agricultural soils.The analyzed soils were generally characterized by acid or very acid pH. Manganese impact on plant growth and a content of the elements in grain have been studied during pre-sowing treatment of winter wheat seeds with solutions of manganese sulphate. The field research was undertaken during 2012-2014. Experimental scheme consisted of the following variants: 1–5 – pre-sowing treatment of winter wheat seeds Artemida by solutions of MnSO4 • 5H2O with corresponding percentage of concentrations: 1.0; 0.5; 0.1; 0.01; 0,001. Processing has been performed a day before sowing. Variant 6 – control, without processing. The soil was sod-brown, hydrolytic acidity – 3,47, exchange acidity – 4,82. Germination of the seeds has been preliminary determined in laboratory conditions. The growth rate, increase of dry weight, has been determined in the tillering stage (3–1 leaves). ICP spectrometry method has been applied to study the elemental compositions of the grain and soil using emission spectrometer ISP-MS Agilent 7700x. Soil samples extracted with ammonium acetate buffer, pH 4.8 in soil-solution correlation 1:5. Samples of the grain have been chosen selectively from the plots of each variant in the stage of full grain maturity. The average sample from each repetition has been prepared for the analysis. The samples were milled and ashed in nitric acid using microwave system of sample preparation – Milestone Start D. Fluka Multielement standard solution 5 for ICP has been used for calibration standards. Biological absorption coefficients (Cba) have been identified for establishing of quantitative parameters of transition of micronutrients from the soil into the wheat plants. Cb.a. have been determined by the correlation between the concentration of the element in wheat and its concentration in soil. Comparison has been conducted between two samples: Cba in the variant of optimal 0,01 % concentration of manganese sulphate in pre-sowing treatment of winter wheat seeds and Cb.a in control variant where the natural influence – high availability of mobile forms of microelements in soil under research - has been taken into consideration. The research on determination of bioavailable forms of trace elements in the sod-brown soils has demonstrated very high provision of mobile forms of manganese and copper as well as high provision of zinc and cobalt. It has been explained by the genesis of these soils since soil forming rocks of volcanic origin are saturated with polymetals and mobility and bioavailability depend on the acid reaction of soil solution. Based on manganese research results there was defined a clear dependence of the plant growth on the concentration of manganese sulphate in pre-sowing treatment of wheat seeds. The usage of 0, 01–0,001 % manganese sulphate solutions is optimal for winter wheat growth. Treatment with these concentrations stimulates the growth of the plants in comparison to the control variant. Higher concentrations, 0,1–1,0 %, can result with deceleration of growth processes. It has been found out that the content of manganese in wheat depends on the concentration of the element used in pre-sowing treatment of seeds. The general conformity to natural laws of this dependence is due to the fact that as the concentration of manganese in pre-sowing treatment of seeds has decreased, its concentration in seeds has increased, but it has been less than in seeds of the control variant. We should mention that the concentration of manganese in wheat seeds of the control variant has a little exceeded the maximum allowable concentration. There was assumed that in the case of pre-sowing treatment of the seeds with solutions of manganese sulphate of 0,01 and 0,001 % concentrations the manganese can act as a microelement without negative influence on formation of harvest and the content of valuable manganese microelement in grain. During the pre-sowing treatment of the seeds the manganese reveals its antagonism in respect to accumulation of copper and not affecting the content of zinc and cobalt in the grain. Manganese, zinc, and copper can be accumulated in the grain of winter wheat, Cba&gt; 1.The reason is high need of crops, including winter wheat, in these microelements.

Variation in mineral elements in grains of 20 brown rice accessions in two environments

Twenty rice accessions were planted in Hainan province, China, for 2years to investigate the effects of genotype, environment, and their interactions on the Ca, Mg, Na, K, Fe, Zn, and Cu contents in brown rice. Analysis of variance showed that the Ca, Na and K were mainly affected by the genotypic variance, whereas the Fe, Zn and Cu were mainly affected by the environment variance. The genotype×environment interaction effects for Mg, Na, Zn, and Cu were highly significant (P<0.001), though it only accounted for a small proportion of the total variation (0.5–16.3%). The correlation analyses showed that Mg was significantly positively correlated with K, Fe, and Zn. A total of 9 and 8 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) loci were identified in 2011 and 2012, respectively, which were strongly associated with for Ca, Cu, K, Na, and Zn.

Rotational defects as stabilising elements in SPD materials

In this paper the focus is laid on the thermal stability of nanocrystalline materials obtained by severe plastic deformation. TEM investigations show that rotational defects act as stabilising elements in grains as well as at grain boundaries.

Smallholder Supply Response to Marketing Board Activities in a Dual Channel Marketing System: The Case of Zambia

AbstractIn recent years, parastatal grain marketing boards have re‐emerged as important elements of grain markets in eastern and southern Africa, yet little is known about how farmers are responding to their scaled up activities. This article develops a conceptual model of farmers’ production decisions in the context of dual output marketing channels (government and private sector) when output prices at harvest time and the availability of one of the marketing channels are unknown at planting time. It then applies the model to the case of Zambia and uses nationally representative household‐level panel survey data to estimate the effects of the Food Reserve Agency (FRA), the government parastatal maize marketing board, on smallholder crop production and fallow land. The FRA buys maize from smallholders at a pan‐territorial price that typically exceeds market prices in major maize producing areas. Results suggest that increases in the farmgate FRA maize price raise farmer maize price expectations, which induces a supply response. Smallholders respond to an increase in the FRA price by extensifying their maize production. On average, a 1% increase in the FRA price is associated with 0.06% increases in smallholders’ maize area planted and quantity harvested. There is also some evidence that farmers reduce the area of land under fallow in response to FRA incentives but there is no evidence of reductions in the area planted to other crops.

Micro-PIXE elemental mapping for ionome studies of crop plants

In order to maintain homeostasis and consequent optimal cell functioning and integrity and/or to avoid toxicity, proper allocation of elements at organ, tissue, cellular and subcellular level is needed. Studies of element localization are therefore crucial to reveal the mechanisms of element trafficking and also tolerance and toxicity. Moreover, studies of localization and speciation of trace elements in grains of staple crops are also of high applicative value, allowing one to determine major and trace element concentrations in different grain tissues without possible contamination. In the last decade, a remarkable progress has been made in the development and application of different 2D imaging techniques in complex biological systems, especially in the sense of improved lateral resolution and sensitivity. The superiority of micro-PIXE over other 2D imaging techniques lies in its wide elemental range (from sodium (Na) to uranium (U)), high elemental sensitivity below micron spatial resolution and fully quantitative element concentration analysis. The aim of this review is to summarize the latest development of micro-PIXE for imaging of the distribution of major and trace elements in crop plants with emphasis on sample preparation methodologies and post-imaging analysis. Case studies of element localization in the grains of major crop plants are also presented.

Effect of long-term fertilizer application on yield and concentrations of elements (N, P, K, Ca, Mg, As, Cd, Cu, Cr, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, Zn) in grain of spring barley

Little attention has been paid to the effect of long-term fertilizer application on concentrations of elements in grain of barley produced on the metal non-contaminated agricultural soil. In 2010, we analyzed yield and concentrations of elements in grain of spring barley in unfertilized control, mineral fertilizer application (N&lt;sub&gt;4&lt;/sub&gt;P&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;K&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; &amp;ndash; 70, 60 and&lt;br /&gt;100 kg N, P and K per ha) and combinations of farmyard manure or poultry litter with mineral fertilizer (FMN&lt;sub&gt;4&lt;/sub&gt;P&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;K&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; and PLN&lt;sub&gt;4&lt;/sub&gt;P&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;K&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;) treatments in the Ruzyně Fertilizer Experiment established on Luvisol in 1955 in Prague (Czech Republic). The yield of grain ranged from 4.03 to 9.74 t/ha in the control and FMN&lt;sub&gt;4&lt;/sub&gt;P&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;K&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; treatment. There was a positive effect of fertilizer application on concentrations of nitrogen, phosphorusand potassium, but no effect on concentrations of calcium and magnesium. With the exception of iron, concentrations of micro (copper and zinc) and risk elements (arsenic, cadmium, chromium, lead, manganese and nickel) were not significantly affected by the fertilizer treatments. Long-term use of organic and mineral fertilizers with appropriate application rates does not represent any risk for contamination of barley grain by risk elements on mineral rich and metal non-contaminated agricultural soils.

Effect of chemical crop protection on the content of some elements in grain of spelt wheat (Triticum aestivum ssp. Spelta)

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of chemical crop protection on the content of N, P, K, Mg, Zn, Cu, Mn, and Fe in grain of 8 spelt wheat cultivars (Franckenkorn, Badengold, Schwabenspelz, Oberkulmer Rotkorn, Ostro, Ceralio, Schwabenkorn, and Spelt I.N.Z.). Chemical protection involved application of a fungicide, two herbicides and a retardant. No plant protection agents were used in the control treatment. The above spelt cultivars were grown in a monoculture on medium heavy mixed rendzina soil. The study was carried out in 2009-2011, at the Bezek Experimental Farm, which belongs to the University of Life Sciences in Lublin. Among the spelt wheat cultivars compared, grain of cv. Ostro was characterized by the highest content of nitrogen, phosphorus and manganese, whereas grain of cv. Franckenkorn contained the largest amounts of potassium and magnesium. The highest amount of zinc was found in grain of cv. Oberkulmer Rotkorn and that of copper – in grain of cv. Spelt I.N.Z., while grain of cv. Schwabenkorn was found to be the richest in iron. Irrespective of the cultivar, chemical plant protection significantly increased the copper content in spelt grain and simultaneously decreased the magnesium content. The content of N, Mg, Zn, Cu, and Mn in grain decreased in the successive years of the study.

Effect of fertilization with farmyard manure, municipal sewage sludge and compost from biodegradable waste on yield and mineral composition of spring wheat grain

Both deficiency and excess of mineral components in cereal grain may impair its biological value, later interfering with the metabolic processes occurring in animal and human organisms. Potential accumulation of undesirable components in biomass should be taken into consideration since such compounds occur in large amounts in waste material. Therefore, it is necessary to assess the effect of waste-based fertilizers on both the amount of generated biomass and its chemical composition. The present investigations were conducted to determine the effect of fertilization with farmyard manure, municipal sewage sludge and compost from biodegradable materials on the yield and mineral composition of spring wheat grain. The field investigations ran for three years. Nitrogen in wheat grain was assessed using Kjeldahl’s method, phosphorus by colorimetry, sulphur, copper, manganese and zinc by the ICP-AES method, and potassium, magnesium and sodium by flame photogrammetry. In the first year, organic fertilizers were observed to be less stimulating to yield formation than mineral fertilizers. Although the uptake of N, P and K from the applied organic fertilizers was impeded, their deficiency in wheat grain was preventable by balancing doses of these components. Despite different amounts of magnesium, sodium and sulphur applied to the soil with the fertilizers, the concentrations of these elements in grain were considerably stable in the years of the investigations. Copper and manganese concentrations in wheat grain were deficient, which significantly depressed grain fodder value and might indirectly determine the crop yield.

Influence of parental forms on changes in the content of mineral elements in grain of new winter triticale hybrid strains

The paper presents a study on the content of Ca, Mg, K, Mn, Zn, Cu, and Fe in kernels (F5 generation) of winter triticale produced by crossbreeding three maternal with two paternal forms. As maternal forms, two strains were used, IGS 5101, FDT 975, as well as cultivar Alzo. The paternal components consisted of strains LAD 122 and F 8063. Morphologically established hybrid strains were selected at the Institute of Genetics, Plant Breeding and Biotechnology of the University of Life Sciences in Lublin. The component selection for crossbreeding was performed to achieve hybrids with great yield-forming potential and to improve the resistance to grain sprouting. Minerals were determined by the atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) method. The results revealed differentiation in amounts of the analysed mineral components in hybrids depending on genotypes of the parental forms. Hybrid strains were usually characterized by a lower ash content in kernels than the parental forms. Among all the hybrids, strain IGS 5101 × F 8063 was distinguishable by its higher content of K, Ca, Mn, and Fe in grain versus both parental forms. It also excelled exceeded the other hybrids in respect of Ca, K and Mn. Tests on the mineral components in hybrid triticale strains indicate that it is possible to shape their levels through an appropriate selection of parental forms and selection during breeding work on X Triticosecale Wittmack genus to achieve cultivars of improved nutritional value.

English

Barley is a cool-weather cereal grain primarily produced on dryland farms in Sistan region. In order to study the effect of different proportions of manure and chemical fertilizer and water stress on grain yield and grain nutrient content in barley an experiment was conducted as split plot randomized complete block design with three replications in research field of Zabol University, 2009. Water stress treatments consisted of: water stress in grain filling stage (S1) and control (S2) as the main factor and different proportions of manure and chemical fertilizer treatment consisted of: 100% manure (N1), 100% chemical fertilizer (N2), 50% manure + 50% chemical fertilizer (N3), 75% manure&nbsp; + 25% chemical fertilizer (N4) and control (N5) as sub factor in this experiment. Results illustrated that the effect of drought stress in grain filling stage treatment on all grain yield and yield components with the exception of ear weight, were significant. Drought stress in grain filling stage strongly decreased grain yield but its effect was not very strong on another traits. With the exception of grain number/ear and ear weight, fertilizer treatments had significant effect on grain yields and yield components. Grain nutrient content not affected by water stress but among different proportions of fertilizer treatments, 100% manure (N1) caused to increase of these elements in grain. &nbsp; Key word:&nbsp;Water stress, manure, chemical fertilizer, yield, barley.

Content of some elements in grain of spring wheat cv. Zebra depending on soil tillage systems and catch crop

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of plough and conservation tillage treatment as well as various catch crops on the chemical composition of the grain of spring wheat grown in monoculture. The study was carried out in 2006 – 2008, using an experiment established in 2005. The experimental field was located on medium and heavy mixed rendzina soil. The design of a static two–factor experiment, set up using the split-plot method in four replications, included the plough tillage system (A) and two conservation tillage methods – with autumn (B) or spring (C) disking of catch crops. The other factor comprised four methods for regeneration of the spring wheat monoculture stand using the following catch crops: undersown red clover (b) and Westerwolds ryegrass (e); lacy phacelia (c) and white mustard stubble crops (d); and the control treatment without catch crops (a). The concentrations of potassium, manganese and sulphur in the spring wheat grain harvested from the ploughed plots were higher than in the conservation tillage treatment. In the plough tillage treatments, grain Mg content was higher than in the conservation tillage variant with spring disking of the catch crops. Conservation tillage had an effect on the increase in phosphorus and copper content in spring wheat grain compared to plough tillage. Zn and Fe content in the grain from the conservation tillage treatments with autumn disking of the catch crops was lower than in that from the plough and conservation tillage treatments with spring incorporation of the catch crops. Iron content in the grain obtained from the treatments with red clover and lacy phacelia was the highest. At the same time, phosphorus content in spring wheat grain was the highest in the control treatments and in the treatment with Westerwolds ryegrass and white mustard. In the plots where a lacy phacelia stubble crop had been sown, zinc and copper content in grain was determined to be the highest. In turn, the highest manganese content was found in the grain from the control treatments, whereas total sulphur content was the highest in the control plots and in the plots with the stubble crops.

Determining mineral elements in four kinds of grains from Beijing market by ICP-MS simultaneously

Mineral elements are essential components for human health from food, but their contents in wheat, millet, corn and soybean have not been compared. Contents of mineral elements in wheat, millet, corn and soybean from Beijing market of China were detected by ICP-MS. The RSDs (relative standard deviation) range from 0.85% to 3.52% and the detecting limits range from 0.13 to 0.85μg/L, which showed that this method is accurate and precise to detect mineral elements in grains simultaneously. The data showed that (1) ICP-MS is a simple and precise method to determine many mineral elements in grains simultaneously. (2) Elements followed by descending order in four grains are usually K>Mg>Ca>Fe>Zn>Mn>Cu>Mo>Li, and grains arranged in order from high to low levels of mineral elements are usually soybean>millet>wheat≈corn. So we should take in more minor grains, such as soybean and millet on daily diet.

Effect of Oxygen on the β-Grain Size of Cast Titanium

Grain refinement of titanium alloys during solidification is believed to have many benefits for processing and properties. Recent work has emphasized the importance of solute elements in grain refining cast titanium and it was demonstrated that the growth restriction factor is useful for predicting the grain refining effectiveness of solute elements in titanium. Despite oxygen being the major impurity element present in titanium alloys and having been previously identified as a theoretical growth restricting solute, its effect as a β-grain refiner is still unexplored. This paper investigates the effect of oxygen on the grain size in cast titanium alloys.

A multivariate study: Variation in uptake of trace and toxic elements by various varieties of Sorghum bicolor L.

The aim of present study was to evaluate the variation in uptake of elements (As, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni, Pb and Zn) by different varieties of Sorghum bicolor L., plants grown in soil amended with untreated industrial waste water sewage sludge (SUIS), on same experimental plots. The power of chemometrics was also used in exploring the potential natural and/or anthropogenic sources responsible for elemental contents in different varieties of sorghum. Hierarchical cluster analysis was used to explore the different variety of sorghum grouping according to corresponding their SUIS samples as additional information to the output obtained by principal component analysis. Significant genotypic variation was detected in the fourteen elements concentrations in sorghum grains, indicating the possibility to reduce the concentration of toxic elements in grains through breeding approach. It was observed that high tolerance limit of toxic elements was observed in sorghum variety PARC-SV-1.

Grain yield and quality of winter wheat inoculated with a mixed culture of Pseudomonas bacteria against the background of increasing nitrogen fertilizer rates

The effect of a mixed culture of non-nitrogen fixing bacterium Pseudomonas fluorescens 20 and nitrogen-fixing bacterium Pseudomonas putida 23 on winter wheat grain yield, nitrogen removal by plants, and content of protein and ash elements in grain against a background of nitrogen fertilizer was studied in a microplot experiment on gray forest soil.

The grain boundary segregation of microalloying elements and the ultra-refinement of steel

A model of Σ5〈001〉/(210) high angle grain boundary (GB) in austenite phase in steel was set up with computer programming. The environment-sensitive embedding energies (ESE) of C, N and microalloying elements in grains or in GB core are c alculated by recursion method, respectively. The segregation and interaction of C, N and microalloying elements in the GB core were discussed. Calculation resul ts show that: discrete light impurities C and N tend to segregate in the GB area , forming atomic clusters; microalloying elements are liable to distribute in pe rfect austenite grains. Ti, V, Nb occupy the top sites of the trigonal prism for med by iron in the GB core, and Ti, V, Nb can also form atomic clusters in GB co re like C or N. When the temperature is decreased and the concentration of C, N and microalloying elements reach to the limit of solubility, the C, N compounds of microalloying elements precipitate from the matrix in GB core of austenite in steel. These compounds can act as heterogeneous nuclei of austenite phase in th e course of recrystallization and retard the growth of austenite grains, leading to the refinement of austenite grains. Nb is the most efficient refiner of micr oalloying elements Nb, Ti, V.

Electronic theory for the refinement mechanism of ultrafine steel

The model of 1/2［110］ edge dislocation in austenite phase was set up with comp uter programming. The environmentsensitive embedding energy (ESE) of C, N and alloy elements in grains or in the area of edge dislocation was calculated by us ing recursion method. The enrichment and interaction of C, N and alloy elements in the area of dislocation were discussed. Calculation results show that: discre te light impurities C and N tend to aggregate in the dislocation area, forming C aldwell air mass above the edge dislocation; the alloy element is liable to dist ribute in perfect austenite grains. Ti, V, Nb and Cr, which are strong or middli ng strong elements for carbide formation, are easy to aggregate in the edge disl ocation area. They can also form the Caldwell air mass above the edge dislocatio n like C or N. But Ni, which is non_carbide formation element, aggregates below the dislocation line or distributed in the perfect grains. The light impurity ca n enforce the aggregation of strong carbide forming elements in the edge disloca tion area. When the temperature is decreased, and when the concentration of C, N and alloy elements reach the high limit of concentration, the C, N compound of alloying elements will precipitate from the matrix in the edge dislocation area of austenite in the steel. These compounds can act as heterogeneous nuclei of au stenite phase in the course of recrystallization, leading to the refinement of a ustenite grains.

Phytic acid-phosphorus and other nutritionally important mineral nutrient elements in grains of wild-type and low phytic acid (lpa1–1) rice

Mineral nutrient stores in cereal grains are mainly phytate, a salt of the phosphorus-rich compound phytic acid. Quantitative measures of total phosphorus, phytic acid-phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, calcium, iron, manganese and zinc were obtained for whole grains, embryos and rest-of-grain portions of cv. Kaybonnet rice (wild type) (Oryza sativa L.) and a low phytic acid (lpa1–1) mutant strain with a 45% reduction in phytic acid. P, K and Mg were present in higher amounts than Ca, Mn, Fe and Zn in both grain types. Whole-grain amounts of total P, Ca, Mn and phytic acid-phosphorus were lower in whole lpa1–1 grains than in wild-type grains; K, Mg and Fe amounts were similar, and Zn was higher. Embryos, which comprise 3.5% or less of grain dry weight, were comparatively rich in all measured elements. The lpa1–1 mutation influenced the phytic acid content of the embryo more than that of the aleurone layer. Aleurone-layer cells of wild-type grains had many phosphorus-rich globoids 2μm or larger in diameter, whereas lpa1–1 grains contained more of the smaller globoids. The reduction in globoid size was consistent with the reduction in phytate. Energy-dispersive X-ray analysis of both aleurone-layer cells and sections of globoids in aleurone-layer cells revealed that P, K and Mg were the main mineral nutrient elements present in both grain types; traces of Ca, Mn, Fe or Zn were present. Starchy endosperm cells contained virtually no P, K or Mg, whereas scutellum cells were rich in these elements.