Edaphic and Foliar Biofortification of Common Black Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) with Iron

Abstract

Background: Biofortification is the process by which the nutritional quality of food crops is improved through agronomic practices, conventional plant breeding, or modern biotechnology. The objective in this work was to determine the effect of iron on mineral content, proximal composition, bioactive compound content and antioxidant activity in the bean grain.Methods: In this present work, we biofortificated plants of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.), with doses of iron sulfate (0, 0.25, and 0.50 g) and foliar iron chelate (0, 25, 50 and 100 µM). In the grain content mineral (iron, zinc, copper and nickel), proximal composition (moisture, ash, crude fiber, fat, protein, carbohydrates and energy), total phenols, flavonoids, anthocyanins and antioxidant activity were determined. Result: Edaphic and foliar biofortification increased iron content in the grain. All treatment combinations containing some edaphic or foliar doses of iron increased levels of ash fat, protein, crude fiber, total phenols and anthocyanins, and decreased carbohydrate content and energy. Nine treatment combinations, including the control, possessed the highest antioxidant activities (84.96-89.76%).