Increasing zinc accumulation by wheat: New study from ZOMM project
Using clover and mustard green manure crops to increase soil zinc uptake by wheat is the focus of a new publication in Plant Soil by the research group of Prof. Rainer Schulin, Soil Protection.
Zinc (Zn) deficiency is a global human malnutrition problem, with an estimated sixth of the world's population is at risk of inadequate zinc intake. The new study is part of the WFSC Research Program project “Zinc Biofortification of Wheat through Organic Matter Management in Sustainable Agriculture” (ZOMM), which investigates how organic matter can be used best in agricultural soil management to enhance the nutritional quality of wheat grains with respect to Zn density, while at the same time promoting soil fertility.
The new paper in Plant Soil investigated the potential of using clover (Trifolium alexandrinum L.) and mustard (Sinapis alba L.) green manure crops to increase soil Zn uptake by wheat (Trifolium aestivum L.) without enhancing cadmium accumulation. Doctoral student and first author Roman Grüter conducted the necessary pot experiments with three green manure treatments (clover, mustard, or no green manure) and three soil treatments, which were a high-Zn soil, a low-Zn soil, and a low-Zn soil with mineral Zn fertilization.
What they found was that fertilization of a low-Zn soil improved grain quality not only by increasing grain Zn, but also by reducing grain Cd concentration due to competition between Zn and Cd in the uptake process. Application of the leguminous green manure to soils with sufficient Zn increased wheat grain Zn concentrations, suggesting the use of leguminous green manure as a substitute for mineral N fertilization in wheat Zn biofortification; however, Cd concentrations can also rise. In total, the study suggests that on Zn sufficient soils or in combination with Zn fertilizer, leguminous green manure can increase soil Zn accumulation by wheat.
Read the full article "Green manure effects on zinc and cadmium accumulation in wheat grains (Triticum aestivum L.) on high and low zinc soils" in Plant Soil external page here
The paper is an output of the WFSC Research Program project “Zinc Biofortification of Wheat through Organic Matter Management in Sustainable Agriculture” (ZOMM). For more information on the project, visit the project page.