Abstract
Biofortification of pulse crops with Zn and Fe is a viable approach to combat their widespread deficiencies in humans. Lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.) is a widely consumed edible crop possessing a high level of Zn and Fe micronutrients. Thus, the present study was conducted to examine the influence of foliar application of Zn and Fe on productivity, concentration, uptake and the economics of lentil cultivation (LL 931). For this, different treatment combinations of ZnSO4·7H2O (0.5%) and FeSO4·7H2O (0.5%), along with the recommended dose of fertilizer (RDF), were applied to the lentil. The results of study reported that the combined foliar application of ZnSO4·7H2O (0.5%) + FeSO4·7H2O (0.5%) at pre-flowering (S1) and pod formation (S2) stages was most effective in enhancing grain and straw yield, Zn and Fe concentration, and uptake. However, the outcome of this treatment was statistically on par with the results obtained under the treatment ZnSO4·7H2O (0.5%) + FeSO4·7H2O (0.5%) at S1 stage. A single spray of ZnSO4·7H2O (0.5%) + FeSO4·7H2O (0.5%) at S1 stage enhanced the grain and straw yield up to 39.6% and 51.8%, respectively. Similarly, Zn and Fe concentrations showed enhancement in grain (10.9% and 20.4%, respectively) and straw (27.5% and 27.6% respectively) of the lentil. The increase in Zn and Fe uptake by grain was 54.8% and 68.0%, respectively, whereas uptake by straw was 93.6% and 93.7%, respectively. Also the benefit:cost was the highest (1.96) with application of ZnSO4·7H2O (0.5%) + FeSO4·7H2O (0.5%) at S1 stage. Conclusively, the combined use of ZnSO4·7H2O (0.5%) + FeSO4·7H2O (0.5%) at S1 stage can contribute significantly towards yield, Zn and Fe concentration, as well as uptake and the economic returns of lentil to remediate the Zn and Fe deficiency.
Highlights
Pulses and legumes belong to the nutritionally rich Fabaceae family and are an important source of plant proteins, having a low glycemic index
The physiological efficiency of Zn and Fe viz. (PEZn), (PEFe), the apparent recovery efficiency of Zn (ARE-Zn), Fe (ARE-Fe) and the mobilization efficiency index (MEI-Zn), (MEI-Fe) of foliar-applied Zn and Fe were determined with the following equations [31]
The two-year mean data demonstrated that the foliar application of Zn and Fe at S1 + S2 stages posed a significant impact on grain and straw yield of lentil (Table 2)
Summary
Pulses and legumes belong to the nutritionally rich Fabaceae family and are an important source of plant proteins, having a low glycemic index. A wide variation in micronutrient content has been observed among diverse lentil genotypes [4,5] It is a widely used ingredient in many plant-based diets because of its lower-cooking time, and economically available minerals and good-quality proteins [6,7]. Foliar application of Zn reported a significant improvement in plant height, root length, number of nodules, chlorophyll content and seed yield in lentil [28]. Another study reported the positive effect of Zn and Fe foliar application on yield attributes of lentil in the soils of Dylaman, Guilan province, Iran [29]. To the best of our knowledge, no work has reported the effect of the combined application of Zn and Fe on yield, concentration and uptake in lentil in the sandy loam soil of northwestern India.
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