Breeding for Trace Minerals in Wheat

In the search for genetic material with high iron and zinc concentration in wheat grain, a significant positive correlation has been found between iron and zinc concentrations, suggesting that these two traits may be combined relatively easily during breeding. In future research, the very high values of iron and zinc in the grain seen in wild types and landraces need to be confirmed in trials in which all the best material is planted in the same location and year. In addition, it is important to determine if these high levels of iron and zinc in the grain can be maintained in high-yielding material. The production of semi-dwarf wheat through the introduction of the rht genes has resulted in substantial yield increases. However, this is associated with a reduction in iron and zinc concentrations in some bread wheat genotypes, but not in durum wheat. The presence of the 1B/1R translocation in the wheat germplasm of the Centro Internacional de Mejoramiento de Maiz y Trigo (CIMMYT) to increase leaf rust resistance may have had a positive effect on the concentration of iron and zinc, but a negative effect was ruled out. There is a strong positive correlation between grain yield and year of release in the CIMMYT wheat varieties. There is a small negative but statistically significant relationship between the time of release and the concentrations of iron, zinc, total phosphorus, and phytate. The positive effect of nitrogen applications on iron and zinc concentrations is more important than declines in these concentrations due to breeding during the last 42 years