Zinc Absorption through Leaves and Subsequent Translocation to the Grains of Bread Wheat after Foliar Spray

Atif Kamran (), Munazza Ghazanfar, Jan Sher Khan, Sana Pervaiz, Manzer H. Siddiqui and Saud Alamri
Additional contact information
Atif Kamran: Agricultral, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2R3, Canada
Munazza Ghazanfar: Institute of Botany, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of the Punjab, Lahore P.O. Box 54590, Pakistan
Jan Sher Khan: Institute of Botany, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of the Punjab, Lahore P.O. Box 54590, Pakistan
Sana Pervaiz: Institute of Botany, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of the Punjab, Lahore P.O. Box 54590, Pakistan
Manzer H. Siddiqui: Department of Botany and Microbiology, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
Saud Alamri: Department of Botany and Microbiology, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia

Agriculture, 2023, vol. 13, issue 9, 1-13

Abstract: Agronomic biofortification could possibly be a promising strategy to overcome zinc (Zn) deficiency in wheat; however, the cultivar’s response to foliar applications is enigmatic when it comes to the relative efficiency of Zn absorption and accumulation. To decipher that enigmatic response, this study was designed with the objectives (i) to track the amount of Zn absorbed through leaves after foliar application, (ii) to calculate the amount of the absorbed Zn actually translocated and stored in the grains, and (iii) to calculate the relative efficiency of the high yielding cultivars in terms of their Zn absorption and translocation. The results reveal that 0.90% of the zinc sprayed was absorbed through leaves, and 43% of the absorbed Zn was translocated to the grains. The cultivars significantly varied for their Zn absorption (0.71–1.07%) and subsequent translocation of the absorbed Zn (23–66%). Foliar zinc treatment also improved growth attributes such as leaf area, height, spikelet per spike, number of grains per spike, grain yield, leaf and grain Zn content, and grain protein content. These findings suggest a need for cautious parent selection in devising the breeding strategies intended for biofortification.

Keywords: translocation; foliar spray; grain Zn content; yield; protein content; Zn deficiency; biofortification (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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