Abstract:
Micronutrient deficiencies are a massive cause of malnutrition globally, particularly in low-income countries, affecting nearly 1.8 billion people. Iron is an essential microelement that is required for plant and human growth and metabolism, but it is widely deficient and affects nearly one-third of the world's population. Several bio-fortification strategies have been established with limited success in providing essential nutrients, particularly in developing and underdeveloped countries, using conventional breeding, biotechnological, and agronomic approaches. Iron (Fe) deficiency in humans, particularly in pregnant women and children, is caused by insufficient dietary Fe intake and is a global nutritional problem. Foliar fertilization is a low-cost agronomic method for increasing Fe bioavailability in the human diet. We investigated the effects of various Fe formulations on growth, yield, and Fe accumulation in the edible parts of rice, soybean, and lettuce crops. Rice and soybean received multiple sprays at various growth stages, including tillering, anthesis, and grain filling in rice and flowering and pod filling in soybean, while lettuce received a single foliar spray. The seed Fe accumulation increased proportionally as the number of foliar sprays increased in rice and soybean; however, this relationship did not exist in grain yield. Among the Fe treatments, HA+Fe was found to be the most effective in terms of overall plant growth, yield, and Fe accumulation in the edible parts of all three crops. We discovered a significant positive correlation between the shoot/Stover Fe content and the grain Fe content, but HA+Fe demonstrated the opposite trend, i.e., minimal Fe retention in shoots/stoves and maximal increases in seed Fe contents in both crops, implying better Fe mobilization efficiency from shoots to developing seeds. We strongly advise using HA with Fe as a foliar Fe fertilizer to improve growth, yield, and quality. Crops must be improved nutritionally or bio-fortified to combat micronutrient deficiency.
Page(s):
197-197
DOI:
DOI not available
Published:
Journal: Abstract Book on International Conference on Food and Applied Sciences (ICFAS-23) 3-5 August 23, Volume: 0, Issue: 0, Year: 2023
Keywords:
Iron
,
Biofortification
,
Mobilization
,
human growth
,
sprays
,
Micronutrient deficiencies