Hui Xiaoli, Luo Laichao, Chen Yinglong, Palta Jairo A, Wang Zhaohui
Key Laboratory of Plant Nutrition and Agri-environment in Northwest China, Ministry of Agriculture, College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, Shaanxi, China.
Key Laboratory of Nutrient Cycling and Arable Land Conservation of Anhui Province, National Agricultural Experimental Station for Soil Quality, Soil and Fertilizer Institute, Anhui Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hefei, 230001, Anhui, China.
Nat Commun. 2025 Apr 25;16(1):3913. doi: 10.1038/s41467-025-58397-y.
Zinc (Zn) deficiency affects 17% of the world's population, particularly those consuming large cereal grains with low Zn concentration and poor bioavailability. Here, we synthesize data from four field trials along with 139 studies from the literature, to evaluate the impact of management practices and soil properties on improving grain Zn concentration in wheat through applying Zn fertilizers. Soil application of Zn fertilizer improves grain Zn concentration by only 29.1%, below the biofortification target of 40 mg kg required for human nutrition. Foliar Zn application and soil+foliar applications increase grain Zn concentration by 55.2% and 62.3%, respectively, surpassing the 40 mg kg threshold. Factors such as the rate of Zn application, initial grain Zn concentration (prior to Zn application), and timing of Zn spraying are identified as principal factors influencing the response of grain Zn concentration to Zn fertilization. In search of desirable grain Zn concentration in wheat while minimizing potential environmental risks, our study proposes a method for assessing rates of Zn fertilizer application based on the Zn biofortification target, the Zn agronomic biofortification index, and the contribution of principal factors influencing the improvement in grain Zn concentration.
锌（Zn）缺乏影响着全球17%的人口，尤其是那些大量食用锌浓度低且生物有效性差的谷物的人群。在此，我们综合了四项田间试验以及文献中的139项研究的数据，以评估管理措施和土壤特性对通过施用锌肥提高小麦籽粒锌浓度的影响。土壤施用锌肥仅使籽粒锌浓度提高了29.1%，低于人类营养所需的40毫克/千克的生物强化目标。叶面喷施锌肥和土壤+叶面喷施分别使籽粒锌浓度提高了55.2%和62.3%，超过了40毫克/千克的阈值。锌施用量、初始籽粒锌浓度（施锌前）和喷锌时间等因素被确定为影响籽粒锌浓度对锌肥响应的主要因素。为了在将潜在环境风险降至最低的同时寻求小麦理想的籽粒锌浓度，我们的研究提出了一种基于锌生物强化目标、锌农艺生物强化指数以及影响籽粒锌浓度提高的主要因素的贡献来评估锌肥施用量的方法。
