Grain Zinc and Yield Responses of Two Rice Varieties to Zinc Biofortification and Water Management

Kankunlanach Khampuang, Bernard Dell, Nanthana Chaiwong, Sithisavet Lordkaew, Hatem Rouached and Chanakan Prom-u-thai
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Kankunlanach Khampuang: Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand
Bernard Dell: Agricultural Sciences, Murdoch University, 90 South St., Murdoch, WA 6150, Australia
Nanthana Chaiwong: Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand
Sithisavet Lordkaew: Center of Agricultural Resource Systems, Faculty of Agriculture, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand
Hatem Rouached: Department of Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
Chanakan Prom-u-thai: Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 14, 1-9

Abstract: Zinc (Zn) biofortification can improve grain yield and nutritional quality in rice, but its effectiveness is subject to agronomic practices and other factors. In a previous study, the application of Zn to soil enhanced grain Zn in lowland rice in well-drained and waterlogged soil, whereas grain Zn in upland rice increased only in well-drained soil. This new study explores the hypothesis that the application of foliar Zn can enhance grain Zn in upland and lowland rice grown under waterlogged and well-drained conditions. Two rice varieties, CNT1 (wetland rice) and KH CMU (upland rice) were grown in containers in waterlogged or well-drained soil with three Zn treatments (no Zn, soil Zn and foliar Zn). For the soil Zn treatment, 50 kg ZnSO 4 ha − 1 was applied to the soil before transplanting. For the foliar treatment, 0.5% ZnSO 4 (equivalent to 900 L ha − 1 ) was applied at booting and repeated at flowering and milky growth stages. Grain yield in CNT1 was 15.9% higher in the waterlogged than in the well-drained plants, but the water regime had no effect on grain yield in KH CMU. Grain Zn concentration in CNT1 increased from 19.5% to 32.6% above the no Zn control when plants were applied with soil or foliar Zn. In KH CMU, there was an interaction between the water regime and Zn treatment. Application of foliar Zn increased grain Zn by 44.6% in well-drained and 14.7% in waterlogged soil. The results indicate strong interaction effects between variety, water regime and Zn fertilizer application on Zn biofortification in rice. Thus, the selection of rice varieties and growing conditions should be considered in order for producers to achieve desirable outcomes from high grain Zn concentrations.

Keywords: agronomy; rice crop; zinc concentration; zinc fertilizer management; zinc biofortification (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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