Abstract
Iron (Fe) deficiency is a common challenge in crop production. Screening and research of Fe-efficient cultivars could alleviate plant stress and increase crop yields in Fe-deficient soils. In the present study, we conducted two hydroponic culture experiments with a control (100 μmol/L Fe3+-EDTA) and low Fe treatment (10 μmol/L Fe3+-EDTA) to study the morphological and physiological mechanisms of response to low Fe stress in maize hybrids seedlings. In the first experiment, we investigated 32 major maize hybrids in Southwest China. We found that six of them, including Zhenghong 2 (ZH 2), were Fe-efficient. Fifteen other cultivars, such as Chuandan 418 (CD 418), were Fe-inefficient. In the second experiment, we investigated the Fe-efficient ZH 2 and Fe-inefficient CD 418 cultivars and found that low Fe stress resulted in significant decreases in root volume, root length, number of root tips, root surface area, and root dry weight, and increased root to shoot ratio, average root diameter, and Fe-dissolution ability per mass of roots in both maize cultivars. However, the increase in Fe-dissolution ability per mass of roots in ZH 2 was higher than that in CD 418, whereas for the other measurements, the low Fe stress-induced changes in ZH 2 were less pronounced than in CD 418. Therefore, under low Fe stress, the above-mentioned growth factors in ZH 2 were higher by 54.84%, 121.46%, 107.67%, 83.96%, 140.00%, and 18.16%, respectively, than those in CD 418. In addition, leaf area, chlorophyll content, net photosynthetic rate, soluble protein content, and Catalase (CAT) and Peroxidase (POD) activities in ZH 2 were higher by 274.95%, 113.95%, 223.60%, 56.04%, 17.01% and 21.13% than those in CD 418. Therefore, compared with the Fe-inefficient cultivar (CD 418), the Fe-efficient cultivar (ZH 2) had a more developed root system and greater Fe absorption capacity per mass of roots under low iron stress, promoted the efficient absorption of Fe, maintained a higher photosynthetic area and photosynthetic rate, thereby facilitating the accumulation of photosynthetic products. Moreover, higher soluble protein content and activities of CAT and POD permitted high osmotic regulation and scavenging ability, which is an important physiological mechanism for ZH 2 adaptation to low Fe stress.
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Claims 20
Claim · model-written summary
Six of 32 maize hybrids, including Zhenghong 2, were classified as Fe-efficient.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Verbatim
e0“six of them, including Zhenghong 2 (ZH 2), were Fe-efficient”
t0“maize”
Claim · model-written summary
Fifteen maize cultivars, including Chuandan 418, were classified as Fe-inefficient.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Verbatim
e0“Fifteen other cultivars, such as Chuandan 418 (CD 418), were Fe-inefficient”
t0“maize”
Claim · model-written summary
Low iron significantly decreased root volume, root length and root tip number in both cultivars.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Verbatim
e0“low Fe stress resulted in significant decreases in root volume, root length, number of root tips, root surface area, and root dry weight”
t0“maize”
Claim · model-written summary
Low iron significantly decreased root surface area and root dry weight in both cultivars.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Verbatim
e0“low Fe stress resulted in significant decreases in root volume, root length, number of root tips, root surface area, and root dry weight”
t0“maize”
Claim · model-written summary
Low iron increased root-to-shoot ratio and average root diameter in both cultivars.
Not reportedTreatmentComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Verbatim
e0“increased root to shoot ratio, average root diameter, and Fe-dissolution ability per mass of roots in both maize cultivars”
t0“maize”
Claim · model-written summary
Low iron increased root Fe-dissolution ability per unit mass in both cultivars.
Not reportedTreatmentComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Verbatim
e0“increased root to shoot ratio, average root diameter, and Fe-dissolution ability per mass of roots in both maize cultivars”
t0“maize”
Claim · model-written summary
Under low iron, ZH 2 exceeded CD 418 in root volume by 54.84%.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Verbatim
e0“growth factors in ZH 2 were higher by 54.84%, 121.46%, 107.67%, 83.96%, 140.00%, and 18.16%, respectively, than those in CD 418”
t0“maize”
Claim · model-written summary
Under low iron, ZH 2 exceeded CD 418 in root length by 121.46%.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Verbatim
e0“growth factors in ZH 2 were higher by 54.84%, 121.46%, 107.67%, 83.96%, 140.00%, and 18.16%, respectively, than those in CD 418”
t0“maize”
Claim · model-written summary
Under low iron, ZH 2 exceeded CD 418 in root tip number by 107.67%.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Verbatim
e0“growth factors in ZH 2 were higher by 54.84%, 121.46%, 107.67%, 83.96%, 140.00%, and 18.16%, respectively, than those in CD 418”
t0“maize”
Claim · model-written summary
Under low iron, ZH 2 exceeded CD 418 in root surface area by 83.96%.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Verbatim
e0“growth factors in ZH 2 were higher by 54.84%, 121.46%, 107.67%, 83.96%, 140.00%, and 18.16%, respectively, than those in CD 418”
t0“maize”
Claim · model-written summary
Under low iron, ZH 2 exceeded CD 418 in root dry weight by 140.00%.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Verbatim
e0“growth factors in ZH 2 were higher by 54.84%, 121.46%, 107.67%, 83.96%, 140.00%, and 18.16%, respectively, than those in CD 418”
t0“maize”
Claim · model-written summary
Under low iron, ZH 2 exceeded CD 418 in root Fe-dissolution ability by 18.16%.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Verbatim
e0“growth factors in ZH 2 were higher by 54.84%, 121.46%, 107.67%, 83.96%, 140.00%, and 18.16%, respectively, than those in CD 418”
t0“maize”
Claim · model-written summary
ZH 2 leaf area exceeded CD 418 by 274.95%.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Verbatim
e0“leaf area, chlorophyll content, net photosynthetic rate, soluble protein content, and Catalase (CAT) and Peroxidase (POD) activities in ZH 2 were higher by 274.95%, 113.95%, 223.60%, 56.04%, 17.01% and 21.13% than those in CD 418”
t0“maize”
Claim · model-written summary
ZH 2 chlorophyll content exceeded CD 418 by 113.95%.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Verbatim
e0“leaf area, chlorophyll content, net photosynthetic rate, soluble protein content, and Catalase (CAT) and Peroxidase (POD) activities in ZH 2 were higher by 274.95%, 113.95%, 223.60%, 56.04%, 17.01% and 21.13% than those in CD 418”
t0“maize”
Claim · model-written summary
ZH 2 net photosynthetic rate exceeded CD 418 by 223.60%.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Verbatim
e0“leaf area, chlorophyll content, net photosynthetic rate, soluble protein content, and Catalase (CAT) and Peroxidase (POD) activities in ZH 2 were higher by 274.95%, 113.95%, 223.60%, 56.04%, 17.01% and 21.13% than those in CD 418”
t0“maize”
Claim · model-written summary
ZH 2 soluble protein content exceeded CD 418 by 56.04%.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Verbatim
e0“leaf area, chlorophyll content, net photosynthetic rate, soluble protein content, and Catalase (CAT) and Peroxidase (POD) activities in ZH 2 were higher by 274.95%, 113.95%, 223.60%, 56.04%, 17.01% and 21.13% than those in CD 418”
t0“maize”
Claim · model-written summary
ZH 2 catalase activity exceeded CD 418 by 17.01%.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Verbatim
e0“leaf area, chlorophyll content, net photosynthetic rate, soluble protein content, and Catalase (CAT) and Peroxidase (POD) activities in ZH 2 were higher by 274.95%, 113.95%, 223.60%, 56.04%, 17.01% and 21.13% than those in CD 418”
t0“maize”
Claim · model-written summary
ZH 2 peroxidase activity exceeded CD 418 by 21.13%.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Verbatim
e0“leaf area, chlorophyll content, net photosynthetic rate, soluble protein content, and Catalase (CAT) and Peroxidase (POD) activities in ZH 2 were higher by 274.95%, 113.95%, 223.60%, 56.04%, 17.01% and 21.13% than those in CD 418”
t0“maize”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors attribute ZH 2 low-iron adaptation partly to its developed root system and Fe absorption, which sustain greater photosynthetic area and rate.
- Material
- ZH 2e0
- Outcome
- higher photosynthetic area and photosynthetic ratee0
- Qualifier
- more developed root system and greater Fe absorption capacity per mass of rootse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Verbatim
e0“the Fe-efficient cultivar (ZH 2) had a more developed root system and greater Fe absorption capacity per mass of roots under low iron stress, promoted the efficient absorption of Fe, maintained a higher photosynthetic area and photosynthetic rate”
t0“maize”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors attribute ZH 2 osmotic regulation and scavenging capacity to higher soluble protein, CAT and POD activities.
- Outcome
- high osmotic regulation and scavenging abilitye0
- Qualifier
- higher soluble protein content and activities of CAT and PODe0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Verbatim
e0“higher soluble protein content and activities of CAT and POD permitted high osmotic regulation and scavenging ability”
t0“maize”
The same questions in other papers
iron atom · growth · Zea mays (maize)Results differ
6 papers in the same direction as this paper · 57 in the opposite direction
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