The Zinc Agronomic Biofortification and Its Influence on Winter Wheat Productivity and Quality

Abstract

This study evaluates the influence of agronomic biofortification with zinc on the productivity and quality of winter wheat. The large number of people, globally, affected by the nutritional deficiency of minerals, requires urgent measures to remedy this shortcoming. Agronomic biofortification of zinc cereals is much faster than biofortification through breeding programs. The experiment took place at ARDS Lovrin and was placed in the field according to the randomized block method, in three repetitions. The three experimental factors - factor A - seed treatment, with the following graduations: a1 - without seed fertilization, a2 - with seed fertilization, factor B - variety: b1 - Ciprian variety, b2 - Glosa variety, b3 - Dacian variety and factor C - zinc treatment - c1 - unfertilized control, c2 - soil fertilization, c3 - foliar fertilization at the end of the tillering period, c4 - foliar fertilization in the heading phase, c5 - foliar fertilization in the milk phase, were study both unilaterally and in different combinations. It is noted, in the climatic conditions of the experimental period, as the fertilization variant to increase the zinc content in the grain, the variant with soil fertilization with zinc sulfate, when combined with seed treatment. In this combination, the highest values of zinc in the green plant, in the grain, the best production and quality results, statistical assurance for the probability of transgression of 5% and 1% respectively, are recorded. Regarding the formation of productivity elements - spike length, spike weight, number of spikelets in spike, number of grains in spike, weight of grains in spike - obvious correlations are established between them and the fertilization system approached. Thus, the number of spikelets in main spike correlates very significantly with the length of the spike (r = 0.73***), the number of grains in the spike correlates significantly with the length of the spike (r = 0.68**) and with the number of spikelets/ spike (r = 0.65**), the weight of the spike correlates very significantly with the number of grains / spike (r = 0.73***) and significantly different with the weight of the spike (r = 0.59**) and with the length of the spike (r = 0.57**).