Bioactive Nutrient Fortified Fertilizer: A Novel Hybrid Approach for the Enrichment of Wheat Grains With Zinc

Abstract

Zinc (Zn) is a critical micronutrient that synergizes nutrient use efficiency, and improves plant growth and human health. Low Zn bioavailability in soils affects produce quality and agricultural productivity worldwide ultimately inducing deficiency in humans and animals. Zn deficiency is a leading cause of malnutrition in underdeveloped countries where a widespread population depends upon staple cereals for daily intake of calories. Modern cereal cultivars are inherently low in Zn, eventually, plants need to be enriched with soil application of ZnSO4, but due to higher fixation losses, it becomes an inefficient source. Rhizosphere microbiome contains Zn-solubilizing bacteria (ZSB) that improve Zn bioavailability, thus increase the root function, Zn uptake, and plant growth. Niha Corp developed a hybrid process of bioactive nutrient fortified fertilizer (BNFF), which has been used to formulate Zabardast Urea (ZU) by coating bioactive Zn (BAZ) and ZSB on urea. Data obtained for 15 wheat varieties from 119 farmer field demonstration plots and eight replicated trials on 42 locations across multi-environment conditions conclude that ZU significantly improved the plant biomass and yield by 12% over non-Zn control and produced grains with 57 μg/g Zn contents, which can meet a major part of the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) of humans. The study recommends that this microbe-mediated hybrid invention (ZU) is a feasible approach to boost Zn bioavailability and Zn use efficiency, with enhanced yield and quality that may contribute to improve human health. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first wide-scale field testing of Zn enrichment in the grains of bread wheat using an innovative BNFF Urea Z technology.

Biofortification of Iron and Zinc in Field Crops Through Plant Microbe Interaction: A Review

“…The ZSB are involved in the increased bioavailability of Zn in plants through the solubilization of insoluble soil Zn fractions present in the rhizosphere. ZSB possibly increased the higher Zn availability during the grain filling stage, which increased the activity of source (flag leaf and stem) and thus more accumulation in grain (Ali et al, 2021). Kamran et al (2017) reported enhanced bioavailability of zinc and mobilized it toward wheat grains due to enhanced uptake of nutrients upon inoculation with P. fragi strain.…”

Zinc solubilizing bacteria and their potential as bioinoculant for growth promotion of green soybean (Glycine max L. Merr.)

“…Strains of zinc-solubilizing Bacillus spp. can be inoculated into the soil alone or in combination with chemical fertilizers to increase the soil zinc availability for soybean ( Sharma et al, 2012 ) and wheat ( Ali et al, 2021 ; Ramesh et al, 2014 ). It has also been suggested that seed priming or coating with zinc-soluble Bacillus is an alternative method for promoting plant development ( Bhatt & Maheshwari, 2020 ; Kushwaha et al, 2021 ).…”

Value Added Fertilizers Ameliorate Grain Yield and Nutritional Quality of Maize Crop

“…Biologically activated zinc coated over urea (42%N;1%Zn) also known as BAZU or Zabardast Urea, is a specialty fertilizer known to increase Zn uptake in grains (Ali, 2021). Although there have been several studies for impact of nutrition on maize yield and nutrient uptake in maize grain, but there is lacking information in dynamics of potassium uptake in relation to BAZU and NPK coated with Blend Coat (N:08%; P:23%; K;18%) marketed as Zarkhez Plus.…”