Role of Integrated Nutrient Management and Agronomic Fortification of Zinc on Yield, Nutrient Uptake and Quality of Wheat

Venkatesh Paramesh,Bipin Kumar,Shiva Dhar,Hosam O Elansary,Diaa O El-Ansary,Amit Kumar,Anchal Dass

doi:10.3390/su12093513

Abstract

Phosphorus (P) and zinc (Zn) are essential plant nutrients, and their deficiency in soils and the antagonistic effect of P on Zn are important concerns world-over. Thus, a two-year (2012–13 to 2013–14) experimentation was carried out to assess grain yield, nutrient uptake and quality parameters of wheat by various levels of P and Zn. The results revealed that 50% recommended dose of P (RDP) through phospho-enriched compost (PEC) + 50% RDP through fertiliser and soil application of 12.5 kg ZnSO4.7H2O ha−1 + one foliar spray of 0.5% ZnSO4.7H2O recorded significantly higher grain yield (4.81 and 4.61 t ha−1, respectively), straw yield (7.20 and 6.92 t ha−1, respectively) and protein content (11.5% and 11.3%, respectively). The concentrations of Zn in grain (35.6%) and straw (57.3%) were not affected due to organic P application but 100% P through P fertilizer reduced the Zn content in the grains. Both soil and foliar application of Zn were found to be more promising in increasing Zn and Fe concentration in grains (37.5 and 30.9 mg kg−1, respectively) and straw (60.3 and 398 mg kg−1, respectively). Overall, the treatment combination of 50% RDP through PEC + 50% RDP through fertiliser and soil applied 12.5 kg ZnSO4.7H2O ha−1 + one spray of 0.5% Zn was beneficial in reducing antagonistic effect of P on Zn and increasing Zn and Fe concentration in wheat grain and, thus, could be used for improving the yield of Zn and Fe enriched wheat grains.

Highlights

Phosphorus (P) is the second most important essential nutrient for crop production after nitrogen [1]
Phosphorus is essentially important to human beings ; it is involved in the growth and repair of body cells and tissues
The application of P50-phospho-enriched compost (PEC) + P50-F resulted in significantly higher yield attributes, such as spikes m−2, grains spike−1, test weight, spike length and spikelets spike−1 than P100-F

Summary

Introduction

Phosphorus (P) is the second most important essential nutrient for crop production after nitrogen [1]. This nutrient plays various roles in the plant metabolism including a structural role in molecules, such as nucleic acids and proteins, for energy transfer, respiration, glycolysis, carbohydrate metabolism, redox reactions, enzyme activation/inactivation, membrane synthesis and stability, and in nitrogen fixation [2]. In India, where majority of population is vegetarian, P deficiency is a major constraint to crop production as 80% of the soils in Indian are low to medium in P availability, necessitating P additions to obtain optimum plant growth and higher productivity [6]

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