Yield performance and seed quality of wheat under different levels of foliar zinc application at vegetative and reproductive stages

Abstract

Zinc (Zn) deficiency in soil affects wheat productivity and nutritional quality as well. Agronomic biofortification of zinc in wheat crops presumably lessens the problem. An experiment was conducted to evaluate the interactive effects of wheat varieties (BARI Gom-25, BARI Gom-30, and BARI Gom-33) and foliar Zn application (0, 3, and 6 g Zn L⁻¹) at vegetative (VS) and reproductive stage (RS) on growth and yield performances, seed quality, and grain Zn concentration. The application of 6 g Zn L⁻¹ at RS markedly improved yield components (19.0 spikelets spike⁻¹ in BARI Gom-25 and 52 grains spike⁻¹ in BARI Gom-33), grain yield and Zn concentration, particularly in BARI Gom-25 and BARI Gom-33. The highest grain yield (5.07 t ha⁻¹) produced by BARI Gom- 25 with 6 g Zn L⁻¹ applied at the RS. Grain Zn concentration ranged from 35.48 to 65.69 ppm, with the highest value recorded in BARI Gom-33 receiving 6 g Zn L⁻¹ applied at the RS. Zinc application also reduced seed electrical conductivity and improved germination percentage and vigor index. Overall, Zn application at RS at higher doses proved to be more effective than application at VS for improving both productivity and nutritional quality of wheat.