Understanding Zn uptake dynamics is critical to rice grain Zn biofortification. Here we examined soil Zn availability and Zn uptake pathways as affected by genotype (high-grain Zn varieties IR69428 and IR68144), Zn fertilization and water management in two pot experiments. Results showed significant interactions (P < 0.05) between genotypes and Zn fertilization on DTPA (diethylenetriaminepentaa...

Zn deficiency is a widespread problem in rice (Oryza sativa L.) grown under flooded conditions, limiting growth and grain Zn accumulation. Genotypes with Zn deficiency tolerance or high grain Zn have been identified in breeding programmes, but little is known about the physiological mechanisms conferring these traits. A protocol was developed for growing rice to maturity in agar nutrient soluti...

Organic matter plays a key role in availability and transformation of soil Zn (zinc), which greatly controls Zn concentrations in cereal grains and human Zn nutrition level. Accordingly, soils homogenized with the wheat straw (0, 12 g straw kg-1) and Zn fertilizer (0, 7 mg Zn kg-1) were buried and incubated in the field over 210 days to explore the response of soil Zn availability and the agein...

BACKGROUND Zinc (Zn) biofortification through foliar Zn application is an attractive strategy to reduce human Zn deficiency. However, little is known about the biofortification efficiency and bioavailability of rice grain from different forms of foliar Zn fertilizers. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS Four different Zn forms were applied as a foliar treatment among three rice cultivars under fie...

One of the important factors that influences Zn deficiency tolerance and grain Zn loading in crops is the within-plant allocation of Zn. Three independent experiments were carried out to understand the internal Zn distribution patterns in rice genotypes grown in Zn-sufficient and Zn-deficient agar nutrient solution (ANS). In one of the experiments, two rice genotypes (IR55179 and KP) contrastin...

Toward the extension of the light-harvesting region of sensitizers in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), two ethynyl-linked porphyrin trimers were synthesized and investigated. The zinc–freebase–zinc trimer (Zn–FbA–Zn) showed an absorption maximum at a longer wavelength than the all-zinc trimer (Zn–ZnA–Zn), although the energy level of Zn–FbA–Zn was lower than that of Zn–ZnA–Zn. The DSSCs usin...

Zinc (Zn) is an essential micronutrient for plants. The ability of plants to maintain significant yields under low Zn is termed Zn efficiency (ZE) and its genetic and mechanistic basis is still not well understood. Previously, we showed that root Zn uptake did not play a role in ZE. In the current study, Zn-efficient and -inefficient wheat (Triticum aestivum) genotypes were grown for 13 d in ch...

Cd and Zn have been shown to interact antagonistically or synergistically in various plants. In the present study of dwarf polish wheat (DPW)roots, Cd uptake was inhibited by Zn, and Zn uptake was inhibited by Cd, suggesting that Cd and Zn interact antagonistically in this plant. A study of proteomic changes showed that Cd, Zn, and Cd+Zn stresses altered the expression of 206, 303, and 190 prot...

In a 36-d experiment, 32 pigs were depleted of Zn (24 d) using a soy-isolate (basal) diet (17 mg/kg of Zn) and then fed the basal diet (12 d) supplemented with 45 mg/kg of Zn from ZnSO4 (purified zinc sulfate dry powder, ZnSO4.nH2O) or from a Zn amino acid chelate (ZnAAC) to study the effectiveness of these dietary Zn sources in restoring serum and soft tissue Zn concentrations. Concurrently, n...