Although the symptoms of magnesium deficiency are well documented in plants, the primary physiological effects of low Mg availability remain largely unknown. This paper describes the physiological responses of Mg starvation in Arabidopsis thaliana. Growth characteristics, Mg and sugar concentration, and photochemical performance were measured at regular intervals during the induction of Mg deficiency. These data show that Mg deficiency increased the sugar concentration and altered sucrose export from young source leaves before any noticeable effect on photosynthetic activity was seen. The decline in photosynthetic activity might be elicited by increased leaf sugar concentrations. Transcript levels of Cab2 (encoding a chlorophyll a/b protein) were lower in Mg-deficient plants before any obvious decrease in the chlorophyll concentration. These transcriptional data suggest that the reduction of chlorophyll is a response to sugar levels, rather than a lack of Mg atoms for chelating chlorophyll.

Worldwide, nearly two-thirds of the population do not consume the recommended amount of magnesium (Mg) in their diet. Furthermore, low Mg status (hypo