Chlorophyll and carotenoid content in wheat cultivars as a function of mineral nutrition

Abstract

Determination of chlorophyll content as an indirect method of estimating the productivity of vegetation represents a good way to gain an understanding of the photosynthetic regime of plants. Physiological investigations of chlorophyll and carotenoid content in the uppermost internode of several wheat cultivars were carried out at the outset of the flowering phase. The dependence of chlorophyll and carotenoid content on the fertilization variant was established at that time. The tested wheat cultivars were grown under conditions of five fertilization variants. The content of chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, and total chlorophyll (Chl a+b) was measured and carotenoid content was determined on each variant. The results indicate that chlorophyll and carotenoid content depended on the presence and ratio of mineral elements in the substrate. This is demonstrated by the variant with unfertilized soil, where chlorophyll and carotenoid content in all cultivars was lowest. The variant of fertilization with N and P turned out to be most favorable. The next most favorable variant was the one with nitrogen alone, and it was followed by the variant with N and K.