Browsing by Author "Kopittke, PM"

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    Effect of silicon on the distribution and speciation of uranium in sunflower (Helianthus annuus)
    (Elsevier, 2024-10) Wang, LL; Laing, Y; Liu, S; Chen, F; Wang, JG; Chen, YL; Paterson, DJ; Kopittke, PM; Wang, YH; Liu, C; Ye, Y
    Sunflower (Helianthus annuus) can potentially be used for uranium (U) phytoremediation. However, the factors influencing the absorption of U and its subsequent distribution within plant tissues remain unclear, including the effect of silicon (Si) which is known to increase metal tolerance. Here, using hydroponics, the effect of Si on the distribution and speciation of U in sunflower was examined using synchrotron-based X–ray fluorescence and fluorescence-X-ray absorption near-edge spectroscopy. It was found that ∼88 % of U accumulates within the root regardless of treatments. Without the addition of Si, most of the U appeared to bind to epidermis within the roots, whereas in the leaves, U primarily accumulated in the veins. The addition of Si alleviated U phytotoxicity and decreased U concentration in sunflower by an average of 60 %. In the roots, Si enhanced U distribution in cell walls and impeded its entry into cells, likely due to increased callose deposition. In the leaves, Si induced the sequestration of U in trichomes. However, Si did not alter U speciation and U remained in the hexavalent form. These results provide information on U accumulation and distribution within sunflower, and suggest that Si could enhance plant growth under high U stress. © 2024 Elsevier B.V.
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    Genetic biofortification of wheat with zinc: opportunities to fine‐tune zinc uptake, transport and grain loading
    (Wiley, 2021-12-30) Kamaral, C; Neate, SM; Gunasinghe, N; Milham, PJ; Paterson, DJ; Kopittke, PM; Seneweera, S
    Zinc (Zn) is an important micronutrient in the human body, and health complications associated with insufficient dietary intake of Zn can be overcome by increasing the bioavailable concentrations in edible parts of crops (biofortification). Wheat (Triticum aestivum L) is the most consumed cereal crop in the world; therefore, it is an excellent target for Zn biofortification programs. Knowledge of the physiological and molecular processes that regulate Zn concentration in the wheat grain is restricted, inhibiting the success of genetic Zn biofortification programs. This review helps break this nexus by advancing understanding of those processes, including speciation regulated uptake, root to shoot transport, remobilisation, grain loading and distribution of Zn in wheat grain. Furthermore, new insights to genetic Zn biofortification of wheat are discussed, and where data are limited, we draw upon information for other cereals and Fe distribution. We identify the loading and distribution of Zn in grain as major bottlenecks for biofortification, recognising anatomical barriers in the vascular region at the base of the grain, and physiological and molecular restrictions localised in the crease region as major limitations. Movement of Zn from the endosperm cavity into the modified aleurone, aleurone and then to the endosperm is mainly regulated by ZIP and YSL transporters. Zn complexation with phytic acid in the aleurone limits Zn mobility into the endosperm. These insights, together with synchrotron‐X‐ray‐fluorescence microscopy, support the hypothesis that a focus on the mechanisms of Zn loading into the grain will provide new opportunities for Zn biofortification of wheat. © 2021 Scandinavian Plant Physiology Society.
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    Hydrolysis and dpeciation of Al bound to pectin and plant cell wall material and its reaction with the dye chrome Azurol S
    (American Chemical Society, 2010-05-12) Wehr, JB; Blamey, FPC; Hanna, JV; Kopittke, PM; Kerven, GL; Menzies, NW
    Hydrolysis of aluminum (Al) in solution increases at pH ≥ 4 and with an Al concentration. Pectin, an important anionic polysaccharide of plant cell walls, adsorbs Al, but this phenomenon is poorly understood. This study showed that Al3+ hydrolysis results in binding of Al to pectin in excess of the stoichiometric equivalent, leading to oversaturation of the pectin with Al. However, the degree of pectin methyl-esterification did not affect the extent of Al hydrolysis. Binding of Al to purified cell wall material also resulted in Al hydrolysis in a pH- and soluble Al concentration-dependent manner, but the source of cell wall material had no effect at fixed pH. Staining of Al-treated pectin and cell wall material from wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) with the Al-specific dye, chrome azurol S (CAS), resulted in the formation of a purple color, with the intensity related to the extent of Al hydrolysis. © 2010, American Chemical Society
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    Investigating the foliar uptake of zinc from conventional and nano-formulations: a methodological study
    (CSIRO Publishing, 2019-06-06) Read, TL; Doolette, CL; Cresswell, T; Howell, NR; Aughterson, RD; Karatchevtseva, I; Donner, E; Kopittke, PM; Schjoerring, JK; Lombi, E
    Zinc (Zn) deficiency affects half of the world’s arable soil and one-third of the world’s human population. Application of Zn foliar fertilisers to cereal crops can be an effective way to increase grain Zn content; however, commonly used formulations can scorch the leaf (e.g. soluble Zn salts) or are prohibitively expensive (e.g. chelated Zn, ZnEDTA). Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) may offer an efficient and cost-effective alternative, but little is known regarding the mechanisms of Zn uptake and translocation within the plant. Foliar-applied Zn is analytically challenging to detect, locate and quantify, as it is omnipresent. Furthermore, any single analytical technique does not have the detection limit or spatial resolution required. In this study, the uptake and mobility of foliar-applied ZnEDTA, ZnO-NPs and ZnO microparticles (ZnO-MPs) to wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) were investigated using inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS), synchrotron-based X-ray fluorescence microscopy (XFM) and radiotracing techniques using 65Zn-labelled formulations. The three techniques were compared to highlight limitations and advantages of each. We also report, for the first time, a novel time-resolved in vivo autoradiography imaging technique that can be used to visualise 65Zn in live plants treated with foliar applications of 65ZnO-NPs and MPs. The images were supplemented by gamma spectroscopy analysis for quantification. The results of this study provide important insights into the analytical challenges faced when investigating foliar-applied Zn nanofertilisers in plants. Potential solutions using nuclear techniques are also discussed, which in turn may ultimately lead to the development of more efficient foliar fertilisers. © CSIRO 2019
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    Non-glandular trichomes of sunflower are important in the absorption and translocation of foliar-applied Zn
    (Oxford University Press, 2021-06-22) Li, C; Wu, J; Blamey, FPC; Wang, LL; Zhou, L; Paterson, DJ; van der Ent, A; Fernández, V; Lombi, E; Wang, Y; Kopittke, PM
    Trichomes are potentially important for absorption of foliar fertilizers. A study has shown that the non-glandular trichromes (NGTs) of sunflower (Helianthus annuus) accumulated high concentrations of foliar-applied zinc (Zn); however, the mechanisms of Zn accumulation in the NGTs and the fate of this Zn are unclear. Here we investigated how foliar-applied Zn accumulates in the NGTs and the subsequent translocation of this Zn. Time-resolved synchrotron-based X-ray fluorescence microscopy and transcriptional analyses were used to probe the movement of Zn in the NGTs, with the cuticle composition of the NGTs examined using confocal Raman microscopy. The accumulation of Zn in the NGTs is both an initial preferential absorption process and a subsequent translocation process. This preferred absorption is likely because the NGT base has a higher hydrophilicity, whilst the subsequent translocation is due to the presence of plasmodesmata, Zn-chelating ligands, and Zn transporters in the NGTs. Furthermore, the Zn sequestered in the NGTs was eventually translocated out of the trichome once the leaf Zn concentration had decreased, suggesting that the NGTs are also important in maintaining leaf Zn homeostasis. This study demonstrates for the first time that trichomes have a key structural and functional role in the absorption and translocation of foliar-applied Zn. © The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Experimental Biology.
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    Tandem probe analysis mode for synchrotron XFM: doubling throughput capacity
    (American Chemical Society (ACS), 2022-03-22) Doolette, CL; Howard, DL; Afshar, N; Kewish, CM; Paterson, DJ; Huang, J; Wagner, S; Santner, J; Wenzel, WW; Raimondo, T; De Vries Van Leeuwen, AT; Hou, L; van der Bom, F; Weng, H; Kopittke, PM; Lombi, E
    Synchrotron-based X-ray fluorescence microscopy (XFM) analysis is a powerful technique that can be used to visualize elemental distributions across a broad range of sample types. Compared to conventional mapping techniques such as laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry or benchtop XFM, synchrotron-based XFM provides faster and more sensitive analyses. However, access to synchrotron XFM beamlines is highly competitive, and as a result, these beamlines are often oversubscribed. Therefore, XFM experiments that require many large samples to be scanned can penalize beamline throughput. Our study was largely driven by the need to scan large gels (170 cm2) using XFM without decreasing beamline throughput. We describe a novel approach for acquiring two sets of XFM data using two fluorescence detectors in tandem; essentially performing two separate experiments simultaneously. We measured the effects of tandem scanning on beam quality by analyzing a range of contrasting samples downstream while simultaneously scanning different gel materials upstream. The upstream gels were thin (<200 μm) diffusive gradients in thin-film (DGT) binding gels. DGTs are passive samplers that are deployed in water, soil, and sediment to measure the concentration and distribution of potentially bioavailable nutrients and contaminants. When deployed on soil, DGTs are typically small (2.5 cm2), so we developed large DGTs (170 cm2), which can be used to provide extensive maps to visualize the diffusion of fertilizers in soil. Of the DGT gel materials tested (bis-acrylamide, polyacrylamide, and polyurethane), polyurethane gels were most suitable for XFM analysis, having favorable handling, drying, and analytical properties. This gel type enabled quantitative (>99%) transmittance with minimal (<3%) flux variation during raster scanning, whereas the other gels had a substantial effect on the beam focus. For the first time, we have (1) used XFM for mapping analytes in large DGTs and (2) developed a tandem probe analysis mode for synchrotron-based XFM, effectively doubling throughput. The novel tandem probe analysis mode described here is of broad applicability across many XFM beamlines as it could be used for future experiments where any uniform, highly transmissive sample could be analyzed upstream in the "background"of downstream samples. © 2022 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.
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    Translocation of foliar absorbed Zn in sunflower (Helianthus annuus) leaves
    (Frontiers, 2022-03-02) Li, C; Wang, LL; Wu, J; Blamey, FPC; Wang, N; Chen, YL; Ye, Y; Wang, L; Paterson, DJ; Read, TL; Wang, P; Lombi, E; Wang, YH; Kopittke, PM
    Foliar zinc (Zn) fertilization is an important approach for overcoming crop Zn deficiency, yet little is known regarding the subsequent translocation of this foliar-applied Zn. Using synchrotron-based X-ray fluorescence microscopy (XFM) and transcriptome analysis, the present study examined the translocation of foliar absorbed Zn in sunflower (Helianthus annuus) leaves. Although bulk analyses showed that there had been minimal translocation of the absorbed Zn out of the leaf within 7 days, in situ analyses showed that the distribution of Zn in the leaf had changed with time. Specifically, when Zn was applied to the leaf for 0.5 h and then removed, Zn primarily accumulated within the upper and lower epidermal layers (when examined after 3 h), but when examined after 24 h, the Zn had moved to the vascular tissues. Transcriptome analyses identified a range of genes involved in stress response, cell wall reinforcement, and binding that were initially upregulated following foliar Zn application, whereas they were downregulated after 24 h. These observations suggest that foliar Zn application caused rapid stress to the leaf, with the initial Zn accumulation in the epidermis as a detoxification strategy, but once this stress decreased, Zn was then moved to the vascular tissues. Overall, this study has shown that despite foliar Zn application causing rapid stress to the leaf and that most of the Zn stayed within the leaf over 7 days, the distribution of Zn in the leaf had changed, with Zn mostly located in the vascular tissues 24 h after the Zn had been applied. Not only do the data presented herein provide new insight for improving the efficiency of foliar Zn fertilizers, but our approach of combining XFM with a transcriptome methodological system provides a novel approach for the study of element translocation in plants. © 2022 Li, Wang, Wu, Blamey, Wang, Chen, Ye, Wang, Paterson, Read, Wang, Lombi, Wang and Kopittke. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
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    Zinc accumulates in the nodes of wheat following the foliar application of 65Zn oxide nano- and microparticles
    (American Chemical Society, 2021-05-26) Read, TL; Doolette, CL; Howell, NR; Kopittke, PM; Cresswell, T; Lombi, E
    Using zinc (Zn) foliar fertilizers to enhance the grain quality of wheat (Triticum aestivum) can be an effective alternative or supplement to Zn soil fertilizers. However, knowledge about the mechanisms of Zn absorption and translocation following foliar application is scarce. Here, autoradiography and γ-spectrometry were used to investigate the behavior of 65Zn applied to wheat leaves as soluble 65Zn chloride (65ZnCl2), chelated 65Zn (65ZnEDTA), 65Zn oxide nanoparticle (65ZnO-NP) suspensions, and 65ZnO microparticle (65ZnO-MP) suspensions. The largest amount of 65Zn absorption occurred in 65ZnCl2 treated leaves. However, this treatment (65ZnCl2) also had the lowest proportion of absorbed 65Zn translocated away from the treated leaf after 15 d due to leaf scorching (p = 0.0007). Foliar-applied 65ZnO-NPs and 65ZnO-MPs had the lowest absorption, but 65ZnO-NPs had the highest relative translocation. 65Zinc EDTA was intermediate, with higher 65Zn absorption than 65ZnO treatments but similar translocation. Regardless, the majority of the foliar-applied 65Zn remained in the treated leaf for all treatments. Furthermore, 65ZnO-NPs and 65ZnO-MPs accumulated in plant nodes, suggesting that Zn was absorbed as dissolved 65Zn and particulate 65ZnO. Overall, the form and amount of absorbed 65Zn affected translocation. © 2021 American Chemical Society