COMPARISON OF ZINC EFFICIENCY AMONG WINTER WHEAT GENOTYPES CULTURED HYDROPONICALLY IN CHELATOR-BUFFERED SOLUTIONS

Zinc (Zn) efficient genotypes grow and yield well in Zn deficient environments. The objective of this study was to compare Zn efficiency and seed Zn content among nine winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) genotypes grown in chelator-buffered nutrient solutions containing 0 μmol Zn L^?1 (?Zn treatment) or 3 μmol Zn L^?1 (+Zn treatment). The Zn efficiency of the genotypes ranged from 24% to 46%. Zinc efficiency was positively correlated with shoot dry weight, shoot Zn content, but there was no significant correlation between Zn efficiency and shoot Zn concentration, seed Zn concentration, or seed Zn content. The results suggested that variation in Zn efficiency among these nine wheat genotypes is genetically inherent. Differences in Zn efficiency among these wheat genotypes, which are widely grown in northern China, indicate the potential to breed for wheat genotypes with increased tolerance to soil Zn deficiency.