Zinc (Zn) is an essential trace element for human health. As it plays a key role in various physiological processes, its deficiency causes serious health problems. Approximately 20 % of the world's population suffers from Zn deficiency, mainly in areas where cereals are a staple source of calories, protein and minerals. Wheat is one of the most widely consumed crops and therefore represents a promising option to increase Zn intake. The Zn concentration in grains of modern wheat cultivars is currently below the target value of 40 mg kg-1 dry matter and will need to be increased by agronomic or genetic biofortification. In this thesis, both biofortification strategies, genetic and agronomic, were investigated in two separate pot experiments. In Experiment 1, we investigated how selected 20 representatives from the genera Triticum and Aegilops differ in their Zn uptake efficiency and how they transport Zn into above-ground parts, in order to determine the potential of each representative for genetic biofortification. In Experiment 2, the effect of fertilization with two different concentrations of ZnSO4 on Zn concentrations in leaves, flag leaves and grains of a selected representative of wheat was investigated. Using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, we found that there is a large variability in Zn uptake and translocation among the representatives studied. The species T. turgidum, with the highest translocation factor and leaf Zn concentrations, appeared to be a potential candidate for genetic biofortification. A statistically significant increase in Zn concentration by ZnSO4 fertilisation was obtained in all plant parts studied. The Zn concentration in leaves increased with increasing Zn concentration in the fertilizer, while the Zn concentration in flag leaves was similar at both fertilizer concentrations. The findings indicate that the Zn concentration in grains correlates better with the Zn concentration in leaves than in flag leaves.
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