Abstract
Zinc (Zn) is an important micronutrient for crop plants and essential for human health. The Zn-deficiency is an important malnutrition problem known globally. Biofortified foods could overcome Zn deficiency in humans. Mungbean [Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek] is an important, pulse crop frequently grown in arid and semi-arid regions of the world. Mungbean could provide essential micronutrients, including Zn to humans. Therefore, it is very important to investigate the impact of Zn fertilization on the yield and grain biofortification of mungbean. Twelve mungbean genotypes (i.e., NM-28, NM-2011, NM-13-1, NM-2006, NM-51, NM-54, NM-19-19, NM-92, NM-121-25, NM-20-21, 7006, 7008) were assessed for their genetic diversity followed by Zn-biofortification, growth and yield under control (0 kg ha-1) and Zn-fertilized (10 kg ha-1) conditions. Data relating to allometric traits, yield components, grain yield and grain Zn contents were recorded. Zinc fertilization improved entire allometric and yield-related traits. Grain yield of different genotypes ranged from 439 to 904 kg ha-1 under control and 536 to 1462 kg ha-1 under Zn-fertilization. Zinc concentration in the grains varied from 15.50 to 45.60 mg kg-1 under control and 18.53 to 64.23 mg kg-1 under Zn-fertilized conditions. The tested genotypes differed in their Zn-biofortification potential. The highest and the lowest grain Zn contents were noted for genotypes NM-28 and NM-121-25, respectively. Significant variation in yield and Zn-biofortification indicated the potential for improvement in mungbean yield and grain Zn-biofortification. The genotypes NM-28 and NM-2006 could be used in breeding programs for improvement in grain Zn concentration due to their high Zn uptake potential. Nonetheless, all available genotypes in the country should be screened for their Zn-biofortification potential.
Highlights
Mungbean [Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek] is an important legume crop of arid and semi-arid regions in the world
The experiment consisted of two Zn levels (0 and 10 kg ha-1) and 12 mungbean genotypes (NM-28, NM-2011, NM-13-1, NM-2006, NM-51, NM-54, NM-92, NM-20-21, NM-19-19, NM-121-25, 7006 and 7008), which were obtained from Nuclear Institute for Agriculture & Biology (NIAB), Faisalabad, Pakistan
The genotypes NM-92, NM-121-25 and NM-20-21 were in the same group with a similarity index of 1.0
Summary
Mungbean [Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek] is an important legume crop of arid and semi-arid regions in the world. It is moderately drought-tolerant; severe droughts exert negative impacts on its growth and production [1]. High edible protein contents in the seeds of mungbean make it an important and superior food legume It has healthier digestible protein contents than other pulses grown worldwide [2]. Mungbean grains contain 3% fat, 3.5–4.5% fibers, 50% carbohydrates, 26% protein and 3% vitamins [3] It is mostly grown in marginal and arid lands despite its importance in combating hidden hunger and alleviation of poverty
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