Publication . Correia, Pedro José; de Varennes, Amarilis; Gama, Florinda; Saavedra, Teresa; Pestana, Maribela
Iron (Fe) deficiency is a nutritional disorder in plants. Poncirus trifoliata is
susceptible to Fe deficiency, but symptoms of Fe deficiency are rare in
Ceratonia siliqua, a slow-growing species. Specimens of the two species
were grown in nutrient solutions containing three Fe concentrations: without Fe (0 mM), 1 mM Fe, and either 10 mM Fe (for Ceratonia) or 40 mM Fe (for
P. trifoliata). Growth, the degree of chlorosis, the plant mineral composition, and the activity of the root ferric chelate-reductase (FCR) were
assessed. Ceratonia plants exposed to 1 mM Fe were efficient at using Fe in
the synthesis of chlorophyll. The activity of FCR was enhanced in the total
absence of Fe. In Poncirus a low activity of the FCR was observed in plants
with no Fe. The balance between micronutrients in the Ceratonia roots
was not affected with 1 mM Fe compared with the higher Fe concentration treatments.
