RESEARCH ARTICLE

Foliar Zn fertilization impacts on yield and quality in pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum)

  • Xufang ZONG 1 ,
  • Hong WANG 1 ,
  • Zhenwei SONG 2 ,
  • Deli LIU 3 ,
  • Aijun ZHANG , 1
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  • 1. Agricultural University of Hebei, Mountain Area Research Institute of Hebei Province, National Engineering Research Center for Agriculture in Northern Mountainous Areas, Baoding 071001, China
  • 2. Institute of Crop Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
  • 3. Industry & Investment NSW, Primary Industry, Wagga Wagga Agricultural Institute, PMB, NSW 2650, Australia and EH Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation (an alliance between Industry & Investment NSW and Charles Sturt University), Wagga Wagga, NSW 2650, Australia)

Received date: 01 Apr 2011

Accepted date: 22 Apr 2011

Published date: 05 Dec 2011

Copyright

2014 Higher Education Press and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

Abstract

Zn is an essential mineral nutrient for plant growth and development. Its effect on crop yield and quality has not been well documented. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of foliar application of zinc fertilizers on yield and quality of millet (Pennisetum glaucum). Six levels of ZnSO4·7H2O (0, 0.75, 1.13, 1.50, 2.25, 3.00 kg/hm2) were applied to two millet cultivars (Jigu 20 and Jiyou 2) to obtain 12 treatments. Zinc fertilization increased millet yield and improved quality when applied at a proper rate in both cultivars. The yield was the highest in Jigu 20 when applied at 1.50 kg/hm2, and in Jiyou 2 when treated with 1.50 kg/hm2. Zn application at 1.5 kg/hm2 increased protein content by 11.13% for Jigu 20 and 10.53% for Jiyou 2. The Zn application at all rates increased lysine acid and soluble sugar content in the grain in both cultivars. The results of this study suggest that foliar Zn application increases yield and also improves grain quality when applied at 1.50 to 2.25 kg/hm2 for soils with low zinc content.

Cite this article

Xufang ZONG , Hong WANG , Zhenwei SONG , Deli LIU , Aijun ZHANG . Foliar Zn fertilization impacts on yield and quality in pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum)[J]. Frontiers of Agriculture in China, 2011 , 5(4) : 552 -555 . DOI: 10.1007/s11703-011-1132-9

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