Strawberry recovers from iron chlorosis after foliar application of a grass-clipping extract
Corresponding Author
Maribela Pestana
Universidade do Algarve, ICAAM, FCT – DCBB, Edifício 8, Campus de Gambelas, 8005–139 Faro, Portugal
Universidade do Algarve, ICAAM, FCT – DCBB, Edifício 8, Campus de Gambelas, 8005–139 Faro, PortugalSearch for more papers by this authorIrina Domingos
Universidade do Algarve, FCT, Edifício 8, Campus de Gambelas, 8005–139 Faro, Portugal
Search for more papers by this authorFlorinda Gama
Universidade do Algarve, ICAAM, FCT – DCBB, Edifício 8, Campus de Gambelas, 8005–139 Faro, Portugal
Search for more papers by this authorSusana Dandlen
Universidade do Algarve, FCT, Edifício 8, Campus de Gambelas, 8005–139 Faro, Portugal
Search for more papers by this authorMaria Graça Miguel
Universidade do Algarve, Centro de Biotecnologia Vegetal, IBB, FCT – DQF, Edifício 8, Campus de Gambelas, 8005–139 Faro, Portugal
Search for more papers by this authorJoão Castro Pinto
ADP-Fertilizantes SA, Estrada Nacional N°10. Apartado 88, 2616–907 Alverca do Ribatejo, Portugal
Search for more papers by this authorAmarilis de Varennes
CEER, Universidade Técnica de Lisboa (TULisbon), Tapada da Ajuda, 1349-017 Lisboa, Portugal
Search for more papers by this authorPedro José Correia
Universidade do Algarve, ICAAM, FCT – DCBB, Edifício 8, Campus de Gambelas, 8005–139 Faro, Portugal
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Maribela Pestana
Universidade do Algarve, ICAAM, FCT – DCBB, Edifício 8, Campus de Gambelas, 8005–139 Faro, Portugal
Universidade do Algarve, ICAAM, FCT – DCBB, Edifício 8, Campus de Gambelas, 8005–139 Faro, PortugalSearch for more papers by this authorIrina Domingos
Universidade do Algarve, FCT, Edifício 8, Campus de Gambelas, 8005–139 Faro, Portugal
Search for more papers by this authorFlorinda Gama
Universidade do Algarve, ICAAM, FCT – DCBB, Edifício 8, Campus de Gambelas, 8005–139 Faro, Portugal
Search for more papers by this authorSusana Dandlen
Universidade do Algarve, FCT, Edifício 8, Campus de Gambelas, 8005–139 Faro, Portugal
Search for more papers by this authorMaria Graça Miguel
Universidade do Algarve, Centro de Biotecnologia Vegetal, IBB, FCT – DQF, Edifício 8, Campus de Gambelas, 8005–139 Faro, Portugal
Search for more papers by this authorJoão Castro Pinto
ADP-Fertilizantes SA, Estrada Nacional N°10. Apartado 88, 2616–907 Alverca do Ribatejo, Portugal
Search for more papers by this authorAmarilis de Varennes
CEER, Universidade Técnica de Lisboa (TULisbon), Tapada da Ajuda, 1349-017 Lisboa, Portugal
Search for more papers by this authorPedro José Correia
Universidade do Algarve, ICAAM, FCT – DCBB, Edifício 8, Campus de Gambelas, 8005–139 Faro, Portugal
Search for more papers by this authorAbstract
Bare-root transplants of strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch. cv. Selva) were transferred to nutrient solutions with or without iron. After 35 d of growth, plants in the solution without iron became chlorotic and had morphological changes in roots typical of iron-deficiency chlorosis (IDC). Acidification of the nutrient solution was also observed. We tested a grass-clipping extract to correct IDC in strawberry plants by foliar application to some chlorotic plants. We also assessed the effects of this product on plant growth, Fe allocation, as well as morphological and physiological parameters related with IDC. After the second spray, leaf chlorophyll increased in the youngest expanded leaves. The total content of iron in plants increased from 1.93 mg to 2.37 mg per plant after three sprays, accounting for 80% of the total iron supplied by the extract. Newly formed roots from sprayed plants had a normal morphology (no subapical swollen zone) but a higher ferric chelate–reductase (FC-R; EC 1.16.1.17) activity per root apex compared with roots from plants grown with iron or untreated chlorotic plants. Acidification of the nutrient solution continued in sprayed recovered plants. The results suggest an uncoupling of the regulation of morphological and physiological mechanisms related to IDC: FC-R activity seems to be controlled by roots on their own or together with shoots, while morphological changes in roots are apparently regulated only by the level of iron in shoots.
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