Biofortification of post-rainy sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) with zinc and iron through fertilization strategy

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted during rabi 2010-11 and 2011-12 to see the effect of external application of Fe and Zn on grain yield and quality of 5 rabi sorghum cultivars.The treatments consisting of 4 levels of micronutrients [Control {RDF (80:40:40 kg NPK/ha)}, RDF+ ZnSO4 @ 50 kg/ha (soil application), RDF+ FeSO4 @ 50 kg/ha (soil application), RDF+ ZnSO4 + FeSO4 soil application followed by foliar application (0.50%+1.0%) at 45 DAS] and 5 cultivars (CSH 15R, M 35-1, Phule Chitra, Phule Maulee, Phule Yashoda) were replicated thrice in a factorial randomized block design. External application of micronutrients (Fe and Zn) through fertilizers had no significant effect on growth, yield attributes and grain and fodder yields as compared to RDF alone. Sorghum genotypes differed significantly for Fe and Zn content in grains. Among genotypes, Phule Maulee had the highest Fe (41.59 mg/kg) and Zn (20.80 and 26.42 mg/kg). Sorghum cultivar Phule Maulee with soil application of ZnSO4 + FeSO4 each at 50 kg/ followed by foliar application (0.50%+1.0%) at 45 DAS along with recommended dose of fertilizer (80:40:40 kg NPK/ha) is recommended for producing micronutrient (Fe and Zn) rich post-rainy sorghum.