Effect of supplied phytosiderophore on 59Fe absorption and translocation in Fe-deficient barley grown hydroponically in low phosphorus media

Hydroponically grown barley plants ( Hordeum vulgare L. cv. Minorimugi) under iron-deficient (–Fe) and high phosphorus (P) conditions (500 µmol L⁻¹) showed Fe chlorosis and lower growth compared with plants grown in –Fe and low P conditions (50, 5 and 0.5 µmol L⁻¹). To understand the physiological role of P in regulating the growth of plants in –Fe medium, we carried out an Fe feeding experiment using four P levels (500, 50, 5 and 0.5 µmol L⁻¹) and phytosiderophores (PS), mugineic acid. Our results suggest that plants grown in a high P medium had higher absorption activity of ⁵⁹Fe compared with plants grown in low P media, irrespective of the presence or absence of added PS. Translocation of ⁵⁹Fe from roots to shoots was not affected by the P level. The relative translocation rate of ⁵⁹Fe increased with decreasing levels of P in the medium. In general, the addition of PS enhanced the absorption of ⁵⁹Fe and its translocation. Taken together these results suggest that the lower relative translocation rate of Fe in high P plants may be induced by the physiological inactivation of Fe in the roots, and the higher absorption activity of Fe in high P conditions possibly results from the response of barley plants to Fe deficiency.