Effect of Different Sources and Levels of Zinc on the Nutrient Content, Uptake and Fertility Status of Wheat

Abstract

Indian farmers face challenges in wheat production due to poor soil nutrients and imbalanced fertilizer use, making zinc-supplemented fertilizers vital for boosting productivity. Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is a vital global food crop, rich in carbohydrates, protein, and essential nutrients, with India being a major producer, although many regions face significant zinc deficiency in their soils. A field study was conducted during Rabi 2021-2022 at Wheat Research Unit, Dr. Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth, Akola. The experimental soil collected from the wheat research unit field was slightly alkaline in reaction, medium in organic carbon, moderately calcareous, low in available N, medium in available P, remarkably high in available K, marginal in available S, and sufficient in micronutrients but deficient in Zn. The nine treatments T1 to T9 are applied in the plots in Randomized Block Design with three replications. The higher nutrient content and N, P, K, S, Zn, Fe, Cu, and Mn uptake was recorded with the soil application of RDF + soil application of ZnSO4 @ 30 kg ha-1. It is concluded that the soil application of ZnSO4 @ 30 kg ha-1 along with a recommended dose of fertilizer (RDF) at the time of sowing recorded the highest nutrient content, nutrient uptake and improvement in soil fertility.