Genetic Variability for Iron, Zinc, and Protein Content in a Mediterranean Lentil Collection Grown under No-Till Conditions: Towards Biofortification under Conservation Agriculture

Rachid Aboutayeb (), Aziz Baidani, Abdelmonim Zeroual, Nadia Benbrahim, Abdellah El Aissaoui, Hanane Ouhemi, Chafika Houasli, Elisabetta Mazzucotelli, Agata Gadaleta and Omar Idrissi ()
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Rachid Aboutayeb: Soil, Plant and Water Laboratory, Regional Center of Agricultural Research of Settat, National Institute of Agricultural Research, Avenue Ennasr, BP 415 Rabat Principale, Rabat 10090, Morocco
Aziz Baidani: Laboratory of Agrifood and Health, Faculty of Sciences and Techniques, Hassan First University of Settat, BP 577, Settat 26000, Morocco
Abdelmonim Zeroual: Laboratory of Agrifood and Health, Faculty of Sciences and Techniques, Hassan First University of Settat, BP 577, Settat 26000, Morocco
Nadia Benbrahim: Regional Center of Agricultural Research of Rabat, National Institute of Agricultural Research, Avenue Ennasr, BP 415 Rabat Principale, Rabat 10090, Morocco
Abdellah El Aissaoui: Laboratory of Engineering and Agricultural Machinery, Regional Center of Agricultural Research of Settat, National Institute of Agricultural Research, Avenue Ennasr, BP 415 Rabat Principale, Rabat 10090, Morocco
Hanane Ouhemi: Laboratory of Agronomy, Regional Center of Agricultural Research of Settat, National Institute of Agricultural Research, Avenue Ennasr, BP 415 Rabat Principale, Rabat 10090, Morocco
Chafika Houasli: Laboratory of Food Legumes Breeding, Regional Center of Agricultural Research of Settat, National Institute of Agricultural Research, Avenue Ennasr, BP 415 Rabat Principale, Rabat 10090, Morocco
Elisabetta Mazzucotelli: CREA—Research Centre for Genomics and Bioinformatics, 29017 Fiorenzuola d’Arda, Italy
Agata Gadaleta: Department of Agricultural and Environmental Science, University of Bari ‘Aldo Moro’, Via G. Amendola 165/A, 70126 Bari, Italy
Omar Idrissi: Laboratory of Food Legumes Breeding, Regional Center of Agricultural Research of Settat, National Institute of Agricultural Research, Avenue Ennasr, BP 415 Rabat Principale, Rabat 10090, Morocco

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 6, 1-14

Abstract: Biofortification is a promising and sustainable way to improve lentil nutritional value. No-till is an eco-friendly agricultural practice for sustainable agricultural production under climate change conditions. The objective of this study was to evaluate the genetic variation of lentil grain quality traits under no-till and conventional tillage systems, and to investigate the significance of tillage and genotype by tillage interaction. A Mediterranean lentil collection of 120 accessions, including landraces, advanced breeding lines, local varieties, and improved varieties was assessed for protein, iron, and zinc genetic variability under no-till and conventional tillage systems. Under no-till, substantial genetic variation for protein (19–32%), iron (17–184 mg/kg), and zinc (9–48 mg/kg) was observed, indicating the possibility of lentil biofortification under conservation agriculture. Significant effects of tillage system and genotype by tillage interaction were observed for protein and iron contents. Furthermore, significant effect of tillage system on zinc content was recorded. No-till yielded slightly higher protein and zinc content than conventional tillage. Overall, the results indicated that shifting lentil production from a conventional tillage system to a no-till system would be of interest to increase lentil nutritional value.

Keywords: genetic variability; no-till; lentil; iron; zinc; nutritional quality; biofortification (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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