Transfer of zinc from xylem to phloem in the peduncle of wheat

Maturing wheat grains represent major sinks for solutes in the phloem, while the xylem sap entering the ear is mainly delivered to the glumes. Nutrients and assimilates transported in the phloem may either be exported from source organs or loaded into the sieve tubes by a xylem‐to‐phloem transfer in the stem. The transfer of zinc from xylem to phloem in the peduncle of wheat was investigated by feeding radiolabelled zinc into the cut xylem of detached shoots. The label accumulated in grains of shoots with an intact phloem but not in those steam‐girdled below the ear. These findings indicate that zinc fed in low concentrations (0.1 ‐ 10 μM) entered the ear mainly via the phloem. After feeding high zinc concentrations (100 ‐1000 μM), the label was mainly retained in the stem and steam‐girding below the ear was rather ineffective. These results led to the conclusion that at these high concentrations zinc was still eliminated from the xylem sap, but loaded only in a minor percentage into the phloem. The interactions between the two long distance transport systems may play an important role in the regulation of zinc transport to the maturing grains of cereals.