Genotype effects on phosphorus, potassium, calcium and magnesium status in maize

Abstract

Nine maize lines, commonly used as female parents of maize hybrid (B1=?2-48; B2=?1767/99; B3=?87-24; B4=?135-88, B5=?84-28; B6=?84-44; B7=?438-95; B8=?30-8; B9=?B-73) were grown under field conditions on Podgorac acid soil in Osijek-Baranya County for two growing seasons (2006 and 2007). The ear-leaves at flowering and grain at maturity were taken from each basic plot (14 m2) for chemical analysis with inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES). Average concentrations (2-year means: g kg-1 in dry matter) were as follows: 3.21 and 3.00 (P), 20.8 and 3.45 (K), 6.60 and 0.05 (Ca), 2.44 and 1.04 (Mg) for leaves and grain, respectively. Differences among genotypes were from 2.69 to 3.95 and from 2.70 to 3.57 (P), from 18.0 to 23.3 and from 3.03 to 3.71 (K), from 5.45 to 8.02 and from 0.04 to 0.07 (Ca), from 1.35 to 3.09 and from 0.84 to 1.36 (Mg), for leaves and grain, respectively. Specifies of leaf composition of individual genotypes were as follows: B1 (the highest Ca and Mg), B2 (the highest P), B4 (the lowest Ca, Mg and P), B6 (the highest K) and B7 (the lowest K). Grain composition was mainly in accordance with specifies of leaf composition. Very high correlation in maize mineral composition under identical environmental conditions for nine genotypes between two years (0.97***, 0.97*** and 0.91*** for K, Ca and Mg, respectively) are indication of high hereditary effects, while P was more under environmental impact (r = 0.43). Significant correlations were found between grain-P and grain-K (0.55*), grain-Ca (0.49*) and grain-Mg (0.86***), grain-Ca and grain-Mg (0.54*). However, regarding mineral composition of leaves, only leaf-Ca and leaf-P had significant correlation (-0.46*).