Title

Prediction of Zinc Deficiency in Navy Beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) by Soil and Plant Analyses

Author Info

J. D. Armour, University of Western Australia
A. D. Robson, University of Western Australia
G. S.P. Ritchie, University of Western AustraliaFollow

Recommended Citation

Postprint version. Published in Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture, Volume 30, Issue 4, January 1, 1990, pages 557-563.

NOTE: At the time of publication, the author G.S.P. Ritchie was not yet affiliated with Cal Poly.

The definitive version is available at https://doi.org/10.1071/EA9900557.

Abstract

Navy beans (Phaseolus vulgaris cv. Gallaroy) were grown with 7 rates of zinc (Zn) in a Zn-deficient gravelly sandy loam in a glasshouse experiment. The plant shoots were harvested 31 days after sowing and the Zn concentration in each of 4 plant parts (YL, young leaf; YOL, young open leaf; YFEL, youngest fully expanded leaf; and whole shoots) was related to the fresh weight of the shoots. The critical Zn concentrations (mgtkg) in the plant parts determined by the 2 intersecting straight lines model were 21.1 for YL (r² = 0.66), 17.1 for YOL (r² = 0.83), 10.6 for YFEL (r² = 0.91) and 12.5 for the whole tops (r² = 0.88). The YFEL was selected as an appropriate diagnostic tissue because it is readily identifiable in the field and had the highest r² with fresh weight.

In a second glasshouse experiment, the critical Zn concentration in the YFEL and 5 soil tests were evaluated for their ability to predict the Zn status of navy beans. There were 13 soils from sands to clays with a wide range of chemical properties. The soil tests were 0.1 mol/L HCl, DTPA, EDTA, dilute CaCl₂ and soil solution Zn. The concentration of Zn in the YFEL correctly predicted Zn deficiency or adequacy in about 77% of samples. The results from both experiments showed that a critical Zn concentration of 10-11 mg/kg in the YFEL can be used to diagnose the Zn status of Gallaroy navy beans.

It was not possible to recommend a single soil test for prediction of the relative yield of navy beans. A combination of quantity (HCl, EDTA, DTPA) and intensity (soil solution, 0.002 mol/L CaCl₂, 0.01 mol/L CaCl₂) parameters were able to explain most of the variation in the Zn concentration of the YFEL, a more sensitive measure of nutrient availability than relative yield. EDTA-Zn in combination with 0.01 mol/L CaCl₂-Zn explained 90% of the variation in the Zn concentration in the YFEL, while HCl- or DTPA-Zn and 0.01 mol/L CaCl₂ explained about 80% of the variation. As soil solution Zn was significantly correlated with 0.002 and 0.01 mol/L CaCl₂-Zn (r = 0.75, P2-Zn may be used as a more convenient measure of Zn intensity than soil solution Zn.

Disciplines

Food Science | Nutrition

Copyright

1990 Australian Commonwealth Scientific and Research Organization (CSIRO)