Department of Agronomy, Engro Fertilizers Ltd., Lahore, Pakistan.
Department of Soil Science, University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan.
PLoS One. 2023 Mar 9;18(3):e0282615. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0282615. eCollection 2023.
Zinc (Zn) deficiency and source-dependent Zn fertilization to achieve optimum Zn levels in rice and wheat grains remain global concern for human nutrition, especially in developing countries. To-date, little is known about the effectiveness of bioactive Zn-coated urea (BAZU) to enhance the concentration, uptake, and recovery of Zn in relation to agronomic efficiency in paddy and wheat grains.
Field experiments were carried out during 2020-21 on the rice-wheat system at Lahore, Faisalabad, Sahiwal, and Multan, Punjab, Pakistan using four treatments viz.T1 (Urea 46% N @ 185 kg ha-1 + zero Zn), T2 (Urea 46% N @ 185 kg ha-1 + ZnSO4 33% Zn @ 15 kg ha-1), T3 (BAZU 42% N @ 103 kg ha-1 + Urea 46% N @ 62 kg ha-1 + 1% bioactive Zn @ 1.03 kg ha-1) and T4 (BAZU 42% N @ 125 kg ha-1 + Urea 46% N @ 62 kg ha-1 + 1% bioactive Zn @ 1.25 kg ha-1) in quadruplicate under Randomized Complete Block Design. Paddy yield was increased by 13, 11, 12, and 11% whereas wheat grain yield was enhanced by 12, 11, 11, and 10% under T4 at Multan, Faisalabad, Sahiwal, and Lahore, respectively, compared to T1. Similarly, paddy Zn concentration was increased by 58, 67, 65 and 77% (32.4, 30.7, 31.1, and 34.1 mg kg-1) in rice whereas grain Zn concentration was increased by 90, 87, 96 and 97% (46.2, 43.9, 46.7 and 44.9 mg kg-1) in wheat by the application of BAZU (T4) at Multan, Faisalabad, Sahiwal, and Lahore, respectively, in comparison to T1. Zinc recovery was about 9-fold and 11-fold higher in paddy and wheat grains, respectively, under BAZU (T4) treatment relative to T2 while, the agronomic efficiency was enhanced up to 130% and 141% in rice and wheat respectively as compared to T2.
Thus, T4 application at the rate of 125 kg ha-1 could prove effective in enhancing the rice paddy and wheat grain yield along with their Zn biofortification (∼34 mg kg-1 and ∼47 mg kg-1, respectively) through increased agronomic and Zn recovery efficiencies, the underlying physiological and molecular mechanisms of which can be further explored in future.
锌(Zn)缺乏和源依赖性 Zn 施肥以实现水稻和小麦籽粒中最佳 Zn 水平仍然是全球关注的人类营养问题,尤其是在发展中国家。迄今为止,人们对生物活性 Zn 涂层尿素(BAZU)在提高水稻和小麦籽粒中 Zn 浓度、吸收和回收方面的效果知之甚少,而与农业效率有关。
2020-21 年在巴基斯坦旁遮普省拉合尔、费萨拉巴德、萨希瓦尔和木尔坦的水稻-小麦系统上进行了田间试验,使用了四种处理方法:T1(尿素 46% N@185 kg ha-1+零 Zn)、T2(尿素 46% N@185 kg ha-1+ZnSO4 33% Zn@15 kg ha-1)、T3(BAZU 42% N@103 kg ha-1+尿素 46% N@62 kg ha-1+1%生物活性 Zn@1.03 kg ha-1)和 T4(BAZU 42% N@125 kg ha-1+尿素 46% N@62 kg ha-1+1%生物活性 Zn@1.25 kg ha-1),每个处理重复四次,采用随机完全区组设计。与 T1 相比,T4 在木尔坦、费萨拉巴德、萨希瓦尔和拉合尔分别使水稻产量增加了 13%、11%、12%和 11%,使小麦籽粒产量增加了 12%、11%、11%和 10%。同样,与 T1 相比,T4 在木尔坦、费萨拉巴德、萨希瓦尔和拉合尔分别使水稻的籽粒 Zn 浓度增加了 58%、67%、65%和 77%(32.4、30.7、31.1 和 34.1mg kg-1),使小麦的籽粒 Zn 浓度增加了 90%、87%、96%和 97%(46.2、43.9、46.7 和 44.9mg kg-1)。与 T2 相比,T4 处理下,水稻和小麦籽粒的 Zn 回收率分别提高了约 9 倍和 11 倍,而农学效率分别提高了 130%和 141%。
因此,T4 以 125kg ha-1 的用量施用可能会有效提高水稻稻谷和小麦籽粒的产量,同时提高其 Zn 生物强化(分别约为 34mg kg-1 和 47mg kg-1),通过提高农学和 Zn 回收率,这背后的生理和分子机制可以在未来进一步探索。