Agronomic fortification of zinc in potato production in Indian context: A review

Abstract

Micronutrient has received greater attention in crop production because the widespread deficiency of micronutrient is coming forward gradually. The key reasons for such deficiency are an intensification of cropping system, adoption of high yielding cultivars of crops and modern irrigation facilities. The greater use of high analysis chemical fertilizers instead of organic sources of plant nutrients (farmyard manure, composts etc.) is also another contributing factor to this problem. This modern technology of crop production causes a serious depletion of different micronutrients reserve in soil resulting in their severe deficiency in many countries. Potato is the widely cultivated vegetable crops throughout India. In potato cultivation, the application of some micro-nutrients (zinc/Zn, boron/B etc.) causes significant increase in foliage at the initial stage of crop growth, while the translocation of assimilates become higher in later stages, ultimately leads to higher yield. Zinc plays a very important role in increasing the production as well as the quality of potato tubers. Zinc loading in potato through foliar as well as soil-applied Zn increases Zn concentration in potato tuber up to 3-4 times which is quite higher than most of the commonly known crops. Zn fertilization has been found to increase ascorbic acid content, but it reduces the tyrosine and total phenol content in tubers, and thereby improves the processing quality. Finally, Zn-fortified potato can be a potential option for mitigating wide spread Zn-driven malnutrition in the Asian countries.