Abstract
Millions of people have Zn-deficient diets, so Zn-biofortified crops could prevent such deficiency. The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of agronomic Zn biofortification of broccolini – a new hybrid crop variety derived from a cross between kalian cabbage and broccoli. Plants were grown in pots using a Zn deficient soil. Four fertiliser treatments were tested: (1) control; (2) soil application of 5 mg ZnSO4•7H2O kg–1 soil; (3) foliar application at the early flowering stage of 0.5% (w/v) ZnSO4•7H2O; (4) combined soil and foliar treatments. Florets were harvested in four sequential harvests. There was a decrease in both growth and leaf composition of Zn, Ca, Fe and Mg. Soil Zn application increased floret production. There were increases in the Zn concentration stem+leaves and florets of 12- and 2.5-fold in foliar and soil+foliar treatments respectively. PA:Zn molar ratios decreased under both foliar and soil+foliar treatments. Boiling reduced Zn concentration by 40%, along with a decrease of other mineral nutrients. A soil+foliar treatment can increase both plant growth and Zn concentration in broccolini, and boiled 100 g portion of biofortified florets fertilised at rates in this study would deliver ~49 mg Zn, a 46% increase than in the non-biofortified broccolini.
Highlights
Zinc (Zn) deficiency affects about 17% of the world’s population and is one of the most common micronutrient deficiencies (WHO 2016)
Zn deficiency is more common in Low and Middle Income countries, it is found in High Income countries such as Spain
Dietary Zn deficiency has often been attributed to agricultural production on soils with little phytoavailable Zn (Alloway 2008) which can lead to reductions in the Zn concentrations in their edible parts and poor yield (Cakmak et al 2010; Gomez-Coronado et al 2016)
Summary
Zinc (Zn) deficiency affects about 17% of the world’s population and is one of the most common micronutrient deficiencies (WHO 2016). Dietary Zn deficiency has often been attributed to agricultural production on soils with little phytoavailable Zn (Alloway 2008) which can lead to reductions in the Zn concentrations in their edible parts and poor yield (Cakmak et al 2010; Gomez-Coronado et al 2016). Zinc sulphate is the most widely used fertilizer demonstrating an effective increase in production when applied to the soil and increasing Zn accumulation when applied as a foliar spray
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