Growth, yield and nutrients of sweet cassava fertilized with zinc

Abstract

The application of zinc fertilizers in the soil has been an agronomic practice to correct Zn deficiency in plants, aiming to increase productivity and/or nutritional quality. This study evaluated how zinc sulfate fertilization affects plant growth, yield performance and nutrient accumulation in the cassava ‘IAC 576-70’. The experimental design was in randomized blocks with eight replications. The treatments consisted of 0, 1.5, 3.0, 4.5 and 6.0 g p1-1 ZnSO4. Results showed improvement in yield with soil fertilization with ZnSO4, with the optimal dose of 2.5 g pl-1. The uptake of nutrients in plant parts is favored with lower doses of zinc fertilizer, with maximum points ranging from 0.8 to 3.2 g pl-1 for macronutrients and 1.6 to 3.6 g pl-1 for micronutrients. The Zn content in tuberous roots increases by more than 40% with fertilization up to 2.8 g pl-1 of fertilizer, which contributes to the nutritional value of roots.

Potential of Cassava Clones for Iron, Zinc, and Selenium Biofortification

“…The concentration of Zn (Figure 2) in the cassava roots ranged from 3.21 to 8.56 mg kg −1 , with the genotypes DG014, DG745, DG839, MS018, MS053, MS119, and MS127 showing concentrations above 8.0 mg kg −1 of Zn, and there were no statistical differences among them. Silva [31], in their study on the Zn content in cassava roots, observed an increase of more than 40% in nutrient accumulation with fertilization up to 2.8 g kg −1 of zinc sulfate, along with an increase in dry matter and productivity. It is worth noticing that the recommended daily intake of Zn is 400 mg/year for women, 5500 mg/year for men, and 7000 mg/year for pregnant and lactating women [9].…”