AUTHOR=Hafeez Muhammad Bilal , Ramzan Yasir , Khan Shahbaz , Ibrar Danish , Bashir Saqib , Zahra Noreen , Rashid Nabila , Nadeem Majid , Rahman Saleem ur , Shair Hira , Ahmad Javed , Hussain Makhdoom , Irshad Sohail , Al-Hashimi Abdulrahman , Alfagham Alanoud , Diao Zeng-Hui TITLE=Application of Zinc and Iron-Based Fertilizers Improves the Growth Attributes, Productivity, and Grain Quality of Two Wheat (Triticum aestivum) Cultivars JOURNAL=Frontiers in Nutrition VOLUME=8 YEAR=2021 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/nutrition/articles/10.3389/fnut.2021.779595 DOI=10.3389/fnut.2021.779595 ISSN=2296-861X ABSTRACT=
Field-based experiments were conducted during wheat cultivation seasons of 2017–2018 and 2018–2019 to minimize the impact of hidden hunger (micronutrient deficiencies) through agronomic biofortification of two wheat cultivars with zinc and iron. Two spring-planted bread wheat cultivars: Zincol-16 (Zn-efficient) and Anaj-17 (Zn-inefficient with high-yield potential) were treated with either zinc (10 kg/ha), iron (12 kg/ha), or their combination to study their effect on some growth attributes (plant height, tillers, and spike length, etc.,), productivity, and quality. No application of zinc and iron or their combinations served as the control. Maximum Zn and Fe contents of grains were improved by sole application of Zn and Fe, respectively. A higher concentration of Ca in grains was observed by the combined application of Zn and Fe. Starch contents were found maximum by sole application of Fe. Sole or combined application of Zn and Fe reduced wet gluten contents. Maximum proteins were recorded in Anaj-17 under control treatments. Zincol-16 produced maximum ionic concentration, starch contents, and wet gluten as compared to Anaj-17. Yield and growth attributes were also significantly (