Search

The influence of micronutrients namely zinc (Zn) and boron (B) with or without farmyard manure (FYM) on growth, yield and quality parameters viz. ascorbic acid and carotene content of tomato was evaluated. A field experiment was conducted with graded doses of Zn (soil and soil + foliar application) and B (soil application) application with or without FYM for the two consecutive years (2012 and 2013). Results revealed that application of Zn and B significantly enhanced fruit yield and different growth parameters as well as plant tissue concentration of Zn and B in tomato. The highest increase in fruit yield over control (27.6%) was observed with the conjoint application of Zn (soil + foliar), B (2.0 kg ha−1) and FYM. Soil application of Zn at higher doses (10 kg ha−1) as well as its application through both soil + foliar method has an edge over control or its application at comparatively lower doses in increasing the fruit yield of tomato. Results further revealed that combined application of Zn and B can significantly increase the important quality parameters viz. carotene and ascorbic acid content in tomato. Such increase in carotene content to the tune of 25 and 35% and ascorbic acid content to the tune of 7 and 30% over control were observed with soil + foliar application of Zn and 2 kg ha−1 B, respectively. Therefore, optimization of Zn and B doses can improve the yield and quality of tomato as well as helps in correcting the micronutrients malnutrition vis-à-vis nutritional disorders in humans by enriching the antioxidants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of zinc (Zn), boron (B) and sulphur (S) on the yield and quality of groundnut in a field experiment with three levels of Zn (0, 5, 10 kg Zn ha-1 as Zn-EDTA as basal), two levels of B (0 and 0.25% boric acid as foliar spray) and three levels of S (0, 25, 50 kg S ha-1as CaSO4.2H2O) in a factorial RBD were studied. Basal application of Zn @ 5 and 10 kg ha- 1 caused an increase in nut yield by 3.7% and 28.3% respectively over control, whereas, application of S @ 25 and 50 kg ha-1 increased the nut yield by 38.3% and 56.6% respectively over control. Conjoint application of Zn @ 10 kg ha-1 and S @ 50 kg ha-1 caused an increase in nut yield up to 73.4% over the control. Results, therefore, revealed that conjoint effect of S and Zn towards nut yield was more effective than that of B application. Application of Zn, S and B significantly increased their nutrient uptake in nuts. On an average, S, Zn and B uptake by groundnut ranged from 11.4 to 21.0 kg ha-1, 0.14 to 0.40 kg ha-1 and 0.12 to 0.25 kg ha-1, respectively. Integrated mode of application of Zn, B and S showed a positive interaction as yield increase with their uptake in groundnut. Oil content in nuts ranged from 45.3 to 54.4%, while iodine value ranged from 97.8 to 90.5%. Application of S and Zn significantly increased the oil content, while it significantly decreased the iodine value in groundnut. So, application of micronutrients viz. Zn and B as well as S fertilization could be a useful strategy not only to increase the yield but also the quality of groundnut. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zinc biofortification in rice can be improved by altering Zn application timing and placement and cultivar choice. We made a comprehensive assessment on this, analysing Zn, Fe and phytic acid in whole grains and processed brown, white and cooked rice obtained from six cultivars raised with Zn applied through soil and/or foliar supply at different phenological stages of the crop and measuring Zn bioavailability in cooked rice. Pathways for Zn enrichment (27.4–92.6% over control) by Zn fertilization with different application protocols and cultivars were elucidated. Such enrichment of Zn was associated with depletion in Fe (6.5–29.4%) and phytic acid (14.8–30.4%). However, the loss of Zn on processing of rice grains increased on Zn fertilization (12.6–28.7 mg kg −1 ) because of a preferential allocation of applied Zn into bran and aleurone of the grains. Despite such loss, application of Zn caused a net increase in Zn bioavailability (52.2% over control) in the cooked product. Using the ranksum scoring technique, we found cultivar GB 1 and Zn supply through soil (basal) + 2 foliar applications achieved the most effective biofortfication of Zn in rice by optimizing grain yield, and enriching Zn and its bioavailability in cooked grain with least antagonism of Fe availability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]