Agronomic Bio-fortification of Rice and Maize with Iron and Zinc: A Review | International Research
The agricultural system was historically more focused on achieving higher agronomic yields than on the nutritional quality of food. In order to meet the energy needs of the increasing population, the Green Revolution greatly increased crop production, especially rice, wheat and maize production. More than 2 billion people worldwide suffer from an insidious type of deficiency known as micronutrient malnutrition as a result of the predominance of cereal-based staples that are fundamentally low in micronutrients, especially Zn and Fe. Only moderate amounts of malnutrition with micronutrients can affect cognitive growth, decrease resistance to disease and increase the risk of dying women during childbirth. The approach to fertilisation with micronutrients has been shown to increase the staples' yield and nutritional quality. Agronomic biofortification provides an immediate and efficient way of increasing the accumulation of micronutrients in cereals, especially Zn and Fe. An sufficient amount of micronutrients available to plants is a prime requirement in order to ensure adequate nutrient uptake. Most of the cereals are grown in Zn deficient soils and their availability is reduced under reduced conditions of the rice ecosystem due to the development of less soluble sulphate and carbonate Zn complexes. For the improvement of the grain quality of Zn and Fe, the type of fertiliser used, timing and method of application are important. By applying synthetic chelated micronutrient fertilisers and/or organic fertilisers fortified with micronutrients in combination with NPK, the efficacy of agronomic biofortification can be enhanced by ensuring proper nutrition of crops with sufficient nutrient supply by slow release of nutrients into soil solution. In addition, foliar application response has shown better results than soil application. Previous studies indicate that Zn fertilisation not only improves the grain concentration of Zn, but also improves the overall maize crop efficiency. In terms of accessibility, rapid outcome, ease of application and high sustainability, agricultural biofortification of crops is advantageous. Please see the link :- https://www.journalirjpac.com/index.php/IRJPAC/article/view/30257 [if !supportLineBreakNewLine] [endif]