Plant Genetic Approaches to Phosphorus Management in Agricultural Production

Much of the P in corn (Zea mays L.) grain is present in the form of phytic acid. Phytic acid P is unavailable to monogastric animals with most being excreted in the waste. As a result, the substantial P stores in grain are essentially wasted and may contribute to water pollution rather than animal p...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of environmental quality 1998-03, Vol.27 (2), p.299-304
Main Authors: Ertl, D. S., Young, K. A., Raboy, V.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agricultural production
Agronomy. Soil science and plant productions
Biological and medical sciences
Carboxylic acids
Environmental protection
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Genetics and breeding of economic plants
Grain (agricultural product)
Phosphorus
Plants (botany)
Varietal selection. Specialized plant breeding, plant breeding aims
Yield, quality, earliness, varia
Citations: Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Much of the P in corn (Zea mays L.) grain is present in the form of phytic acid. Phytic acid P is unavailable to monogastric animals with most being excreted in the waste. As a result, the substantial P stores in grain are essentially wasted and may contribute to water pollution rather than animal productivity. The initial goal of this research was to isolate chemically induced mutants with reduced levels of phytic acid P in corn. Such mutants, referred to as low phytic acid or Ipa, were isolated and were found to have little or no other effect on kernel composition including no effect on total grain P content. The first mutant characterized, Ipal‐1, a 65% reduction in phytic acid and is accompanied by a molar‐equivalent increase in inorganic P. This mutant was backcrossed into elite corn inbred lines and resulting hybrids were evaluated for yield and other important agronomic traits. Preliminary field trials indicated germination, stalk strength, grain moisture at harvest, and flowering date were not affected by Ipal‐1. Some, but not all, Ipal‐1 hybrids had yield reductions. In a preliminary chick feeding trial, the low phytic acid grain resulted in greater P availability and reduced P content in the waste. Altering the phytic acid content genetically in corn is possible and may have the potential to improve feeding efficiencies and reduce P released to the environment.
ISSN:0047-2425
1537-2537
DOI:10.2134/jeq1998.00472425002700020008x