Original scientific paper

RELATIONS AMONG SIX MICRONUTRIENTS IN GRAIN DETERMINED IN A MAIZE POPULATION

Domagoj Šimić ; Agricultural Institute Osijek, Osijek, Croatia
Zvonimir Zdunić ; Agricultural Institute Osijek, Osijek, Croatia
Antun Jambrović ; Agricultural Institute Osijek, Osijek, Croatia
Tatjana Ledenčan ; Agricultural Institute Osijek, Osijek, Croatia
Ivan Brkić ; Agricultural Institute Osijek, Osijek, Croatia
Vinko Duvnjak ; Agricultural Institute Osijek, Osijek, Croatia
Vlado Kovačević ; Faculty of Agriculture, J.J.Strossmayer University of Osijek, Osijek, Croatia

Abstract

Limited results are published about the relations among micronutrients in cereal grains, although micronutrients play important physiological roles in animals and humans. The objective of this study was to determine relations among boron (B), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), molybdenum (Mo) and zinc (Zn) concentrations in grain of 297 genotypes of a maize population measured by inductively coupled plasma – optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) in two years. Correlation coefficients showed generally weak, though positive associations between individual micronutrient concentrations in both years. Principal component analysis revealed not the same relations among the micronutrients across two years, indicating the importance of environment. Still, close relations between Cu and Fe, and to lesser extent between B and Mo were observed in both years. Mn was consistently one of the least related micronutrients to others. Our results suggest that it is possible to improve density of various micronutrients in maize grain simultaneously, although the progress would be very slow.

Keywords

grain; maize; micronutrients; principal component analysis

Hrčak ID:

44529

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/44529

Publication date:

11.12.2009.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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