Russet Burbank potatoes were grown on field plots and in nutrient solutions at levels of Zn and P nutrition that would produce plants ranging from no Zn deficiency to severe Zn deficiency. Increasing the supply of P induced a growth disorder that could be eliminated by an increased supply of Zn. Neither the development of the deficiency nor the elimination of the deficiency was well correlated with changes in the concentration of Zn in stem and leaf tissues. High concentrations of P in tissues resulting in high P/Zn concentration ratios appear to offer a better explanation for the metabolic upset. Healthy plants tended to have P/Zn concentration ratios < 400, whereas in deficient plants the ratio was generally > 400. The data obtained indicate a mutual antagonism between P and Zn in their uptake and accumulation in the plant.
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Boawn et al. (1964) studied this question.