Abstract
Societal Impact Statement Micronutrients such as zinc and iron are critical for human health. For the world's population that relies on cereal products to obtain micronutrients, the bioavailability (absorption of nutrients in the gut) can be hindered by an anti‐nutritional compound, phytate. Phytate accumulation in grain is affected by soil properties including phosphorus availability and arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi. Here, we investigated the effects of AM fungi and soil phosphorus fertilization on micronutrient bioavailability in durum wheat and found that fertilization greatly decreased the bioavailability of micronutrients, but AM fungi can take up more micronutrients, which can lead to improved bioavailability when the soil is not fertilized. Summary The bioavailability of micronutrients (zinc [Zn] and iron [Fe]) in cereal crops such as durum wheat is critically important for human nutrition. Bioavailability is a product of complex interactions between plant phosphorus (P) uptake and storage in grain (as phytate), and plant micronutrient uptake. The bioavailability of Zn and Fe in cereal grain is affected by soil nutrient concentrations and associations with arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi, but has been scarcely studied. A geographically diverse collection of 101 durum wheat genotypes was surveyed for grain bioavailability of Zn and Fe. Ten genotypes were then selected and grown with and without AM fungal inoculation and soil P fertilization to understand the effects of manipulating soil P availability and uptake on micronutrient bioavailability. The strongest negative effect on grain micronutrient bioavailability was soil P fertilization, however, it also led to increased grain weight. Crop variety selection had the greatest variation in the P‐fertilized soil, but AM fungal inoculation had a positive effect on bioavailability in one variety in the non‐fertilized soil. In order to grow more nutritious durum wheat crops, variety selection and AM fungal inoculation are important considerations. In general, there is a trade‐off between grain weight (yield) and micronutrient bioavailability in grain that could be addressed through breeding P‐deficiency tolerant varieties.
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Claims 6
Claim · model-written summary
Soil phosphorus fertilisation reduced grain micronutrient bioavailability.
- Taxon
- durum wheat
Triticum turgidum subsp. durumt0 - Treatment
- soil P fertilizatione0
- Outcome
- grain micronutrient bioavailabilitye0
- Direction
- negativee0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The strongest negative effect on grain micronutrient bioavailability was soil P fertilization”
t0“durum wheat”
Claim · model-written summary
Phosphorus fertilisation increased grain weight.
- Taxon
- durum wheatTriticum turgidum subsp. durumt0
- Outcome
- grain weighte0
- Direction
- increasede0
Not reportedTreatmentComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“it also led to increased grain weight.”
t0“durum wheat”
Claim · model-written summary
Crop varieties showed greatest bioavailability variation in fertilised soil.
- Taxon
- durum wheatTriticum turgidum subsp. durumt0
- Material
- Crop varietye0
- Outcome
- variatione0
- Qualifier
- P‐fertilized soile0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Crop variety selection had the greatest variation in the P‐fertilized soil”
t0“durum wheat”
Claim · model-written summary
AM fungal inoculation improved bioavailability for one variety in unfertilised soil.
- Taxon
- durum wheatTriticum turgidum subsp. durumt0
- Treatment
- AM fungal inoculatione0
- Outcome
- bioavailabilitye0
- Direction
- positivee0
- Qualifier
- one variety in the non‐fertilized soile0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“AM fungal inoculation had a positive effect on bioavailability in one variety in the non‐fertilized soil.”
t0“durum wheat”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors identify a trade-off between grain weight and micronutrient bioavailability.
- Taxon
- durum wheatTriticum turgidum subsp. durumt0
- Outcome
- micronutrient bioavailability in graine0
- Direction
- trade‐offe0
- Qualifier
- grain weight (yield)e0
Not reportedOrgan / stage
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“there is a trade‐off between grain weight (yield) and micronutrient bioavailability in grain”
t0“durum wheat”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors propose breeding phosphorus-deficiency-tolerant varieties to address the trade-off.
- Taxon
- durum wheatTriticum turgidum subsp. durumt0
- Outcome
- breeding P‐deficiency tolerant varietiese0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“could be addressed through breeding P‐deficiency tolerant varieties.”
t0“durum wheat”
The same questions in other papers
fertilization · molecular: metabolites · Triticum turgidum (rivet wheat)Positive and negative results
9 in the opposite direction
- positive
- positive
- positive
6 papers more in this group
See all 10 papers →Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.