Indian. J. Plant Physio/, Vol. XXXVII, No I, pp. 56-58 (March. 1994)
SHORT COMMUNICATION
EFFECT OF Fe ON CARBOHYDRATE AND PROTEIN CONTENT AND SOME ENZYMATIC ACTIVITIES IN RICE CULTIVARS GROWN IN CALCAREOUS SOIL B.B. SINGH, M.P. SINGH AND P. RAM
Dt!partment of Crop Physiology, N.D. University of Agriculture and TeclUlology, Kwnarganj, Faizabad-224 229 Received. on 8 July, [993 The effect of iron on carbohydrate, protein and protease, a-amylase and invertase activities in the
leaves of riee plants grown in calcareous soil was studied in pot culture condition. Carbohydrate and
protein content, a- amylase and invertase activity increased and protease decreased with Fe application.
Response to Fe application was higher in IET-I444 (Fe-efficient) than in IR-8 (Fe-inefficient) cultivars.
Iron deficiency chlorosis is a well known micronutri­
ent disorder. While most of the soils contain sufficient
amount of Fe, its availability to plants is very often
limited by factors like high pH, high CaCO, content and
alkalinity. In view of the importance efforts are being
made to investigate the mechanisms of Fe uptake by
plants. It would be worth while to identify the crop
cultivars and also plant species which differ in their
efficiency .to absorb Fe (So-called Fe-efficient plants
which possess mechanisms which facilitate in the uptake
as well as transport of Fe.)
_ IET-1444, a Fe-efficient and IR-8, a Fe-inefficient
(Kannan, 1981a) rice cultivars were used. Effect ofappli­
cation of FeS04 at 5 and 10 ppm to two rice cultivars
grown in pot culture having calcareous soil was investi­
gated on carbohydrate and protein content and enzymatic
activities.
Each pot was lined with polythene and filled with 8
kg well pulverized calcareous soil (pH 8.3). Different
levels of iron (0,5.10 mg kg" soil) as iron sulphate was
also added to it. N. P and K were supplied at 0.06, 0.03,
0.03g kg') soil as urea, single superphosphate and muriate
of potash, respectively. The design of the experiment was
latin-square with three replications. Ten seeds per pot
were SO'Wll and after gennination only three healthy
uniforn1 plants were retained. The plauts were irrigated
with water to maintain flooding condition. All the obser­
vations were recorded after 30,50 and 70 days after
sowing, (at vegetative, flowering and grain filling stages
respectively). The activities of invertase and a-amylase
in leaves were detennined by the method of Hatch and
Glasziou (1963) and Bernfeld (1955) respectively using
dinitro salicylic acid (DNS) reagent and the colour inten­
sity was measured at 540 1ll11. Protease activity was
measured in leaves by the method of Nayak et al. (1979)
using folin-phenol reagent and expressed as Illg g'l fro wt.
TIle carbohydrate and p~otein was estimated by the medl­
ods ofYenm and willis (1954) and Lowry et al. (1951),
respecti vely.
Data 011 carbohydrate content (Table I) showed that
carbohydrate content significantly increased in both dIe
cultivars with the increasing iron application at all tlle
growth stages. lET-1444 maintained higher c.'lrbohydrate
content at flowering stage, while it decreased in both the
cultivars at grain filling stage.
The protein contents also increased with increasing
Iron application at all the growth periods in both the
cultivars (Table I). A significant variation was also ob­
served between the two cultivars of rice in respect of
protein content. Iron efficient lET-1444 maintained higher
protein content at all the growth stages than IR-8. The
interaction effect between variety and treatments were
EFFEl"'T OF Fe IN RJCE 57
Table I: Effect of iron on carbohydmte and protein content in leaves ofIR-8and IET-I444. Treatments
Vegetative stage
00 HAS)
Fe So.
IR-g
IET-I444
COlltn."
5 ppm
10 ppm
Me.1Il
C.I>. at 0.05
V=
t=
vxt =
32.27
3H.16
41.41
37.28
46.64­
4R.42
52.26
49.17
11.08
0.97
1.38
1.41
1.73
2.45
COlllrol
5 pplll
10 ppm
Mean
C.D.al (l.OS
v=
t=
vxt=
11.(..1
1,\.,\2
1457
13.17
13.53
14.3(,
14.67
14.11)
0.32
11.47
0.61
1.00
1.26
1.21
Aowering slage
(50I>AS)
IR-8
IET-I444
Carbohydmte (mg. g.. , fro wt.)
51.59
57.27
50.54
60.64
62.60
63.23
56.91
60.38
1.02
1.25
1.77
Protein mg. g ., f(.wt.
27.31
29.42
31.13
29.29
~ID'(X)
:11.27
33.46
31.5H
Grain filling
(70 DAS)
st~lge
IR-H
IET-I444
39.20
42.34
46.57
42.27
52.30
50.81
5R.92
50.03
15.R2
21.13
23.67
20.21
25.4('
26.76
25.05
22.9~
0.90
1.13
1.10
Table n : Effect of iron on enzyme activities in leaves ofIR-8 and IET-I444.
Trealments
FeSO.
O.lnlrol
5 ppm
10 ppm
Meml
CD. at 0.1.15
v=
1=
vxt:
Vegehllive slage
(3UDAS)
IR-R
IET-I444
26.72
25.73
25.38
25.94
28.21
27.73
28.12
28'()2
1.22
1.22
2.12
1.48
257
1.81
Control
5 ppm
10 ppm
Mean
c.n. al 0.05
v=
1=
vxl=
16.84
17.76
21.36
IH.65
21.66
22.7(,
23.(,()
22.73
11.88
1.08
153
1.21
1.49
2.10
Control
5 ppm
10 ppm
Me.1Il
C.D. at n.05
v=
1=
vxl=
20.76
22.63
27.36
23..58
2456
25.40
2H.23
26.116
(1.63
0.79
1.1)1.)
2.14
2.63
3.72
IR-R
Aowering siage
(50 DAS)
IET-I444
l'rolease (mg g ., fr.w!.)
63.03
60.H3
5850
60.79
Grain filling stage
(70 DAS)
IR-8
IET~I444
68.22
64.62
62.34
6.HI6
45.31
47.37
50.14
47.61
48.26
51.29
52.27
50.60
a-amylase (mg g .., fro wt.)
43.36
40.30
42.30
44.76
44.62
47.03
45.05
43.41
27.20
28.13
30.86
28.73
29.20
30,f'6
32.23
30.40
1.43
1.75
2.48
Invertase (mg g" fro wt.)
32.93
.40.63
43.00
39.30
46.33
45.3~\
31).18
43.51
27.73
2954
46.90
29.89
30.93
3150
32.90
31.78
1.21
2.10
IA9
0.74
0.90
1.28
58
B.B.SINGH, el al.
significant at all the grOwth stages. The increase in
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Fe application depressed the protease activity in
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Iron application increased a-amylase activity in both
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stages than inefficient one (Singh et al., 1993). Naik
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