Agronomic biofortification of wheat grains with zinc through different modes of zinc fertilization

Abstract

Thirty field experiments were conducted during rabi seasons of 2014–15 and 201516 across farmers’ fields of four villages of district Faridabad, Haryana, India using wheat as test crop to evaluate the effects of soil and foliar mode of application of zinc fertilizer on grain yield and Zn concentration. The application of Zn fertilizer in soil increased grain yield of wheat significantly over control at few locations during both the years where low Zn soils existed i. e. from 3.9 to 12.6% and 3.3 to 10.5% during 2014–15 and 2015–16, respectively, over no soil Zn addition. However, foliar treatment of Zn fertilizer on grain yield was quiet less effective. The foliar Zn application resulted in significant increases in grain Zn content over control at all locations. Maximum increase in grain Zn concentration with foliar spray of Zn was 125.73 and 122.82% higher during 2014–15 and 2015–16, respectively, over control. It was found that foliar application of Zn is an important agronomic practice for the farmers to enrich wheat grains with zinc. Increasing grain yield by soil application and grain Zn concentration by foliar application of zinc fertilizer also provides additional positive impacts in terms of economic benefits and to secure nutritional quality and mitigate hidden hunger.