Although complexation with soil organic matter may improve zinc (Zn) bioavailability to plants, the effect of Zn sorbent surfaces on the use of complexed Zn by plants remains unknown. The objective of this research was to elucidate how Zn complexation with humic substances (HS) and phytate affects the uptake of Zn by wheat plants depending on the main sorbent surface in growth media, i.e. , carbonates and Fe oxides. To this end, two pot experiments were performed, one using Fe oxide-coated siliceous sand and the other using a mixture of calcareous and siliceous sand as the growth medium. Each experiment involved three Zn sources, Zn-HS complex, Zn phytate, and ZnSO 4 . All sources were applied with surface irrigation at two Zn rates (0.25 and 2 mg kg –1 growth medium). The Zn-HS complex significantly increased Zn uptake by plants in both media, relative to the other two Zn sources, but no significant difference was observed between Zn phytate and ZnSO 4 . In the calcareous medium, Zn-HS and Zn phytate resulted in significantly higher dry biomass yields of wheat than ZnSO 4 . In the siliceous medium, spike and shoot dry biomass yields with Zn-HS at the low rate and Zn phytate at both rates were not significantly different from those with ZnSO 4 at the high rate. After harvest, approximately 50% of the Zn applied as Zn-HS remained extractable by diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA), while this proportion was less than 20% for the other Zn sources. Thus, Zn-HS and Zn phytate are sources of available Zn for plants, and they are more effective than ZnSO 4 in increasing plant growth, particularly when carbonates are the main Zn sorbent surface.