Effect of seed priming with water and zinc on wheat yield, and grain biofortification with zinc foliar application

Ciljevi istraživanja ove doktorske disertacije su bili da se prouči uticaj predsetvenog tretmana semena vodom i cinkom na prinos zrna pet domaćih ozimih sorti hlebne pšenice (Triticum aestivum L.), takođe i uticaj jednokratne folijarne primene cinka na prinos i koncentraciju cinka i proteina u zrnu. Oba poljska ogleda su izvedena na dve lokacije (Zemun Polje i Padinska Skela), na svakoj u dve uzastopne proizvodne sezone. U predsetvenom tretmanu semena cinkom seme je potapano u 4 mM vodeni rastvor ZnSO4·7H2O, a kontrola je bila netretirano seme. U drugom ogledu je 0,5% vodeni rastvor ZnSO4·7H2O primenjen folijarno na kraju cvetanja. Predsetveni tretman semena cinkom je na nivou celog ogleda značajno povećao suvu masu glavnog izdanka i ukupnu suvu masu svih izdanaka samo u odnosu na kontrolu, dok je uticaj tretmana sa vodom bio manje izražen; razlike između tretmana semena nisu bile značajne za sve sorte na obe lokacije. U proseku za ceo ogled, predsetveni tretman cinkom značajno je povećao prinos zrna u odnosu na kontrolu i tretman sa vodom, i to za 8% i 6%, po redu, pri čemu uticaj tretmana nije bio jednak i značajan po proizvodnim sezonama na obe lokacije i za sorte. Povećanje prinosa nije moglo sa sigurnošću da se dovede u vezu sa uticajem predsetvenog tretmana semena na merene komponenete prinosa, i neophodna su dalja istraživanja u kojima će biti praćeno i prezimljavanje i bokorenje sorti pšenice u našem području. Jednokratna folijarna primena cinka na kraju cvetanja je značajno povećala koncentraciju cinka u zrnu svih sorti na obe lokacije, dok je uticaj ovog tretmana na koncentraciju proteina u zrnu bio manje izražen. Povećanje novoa cinka u zrnu je za sorte variralo od 15% do 49%. Rezultati su po prvi put pokazali da su domaće visoko prinosne sorte pšenice prilagođene na biofortifikaciju folijarnom primenom cinka, kojom može da se poboljša dijetarni unos cinka, i da visoki prinosi zrna ne ograničavaju potencijal za biofortifikaciju cinkom.yield of five local winter bread cultivars (Triticum aestivum L.), and to study the effect of zinc foliar application on grain yield and grain zinc and protein concentration. Both filed trials were conducted on two experimental locations (Zemun Polje and Padinska Skela) over two gorwing seasons on each location. Seed priming comprised of following treatments: priming with water, priming with 4 mM ZnSO4·7H2O water solution and control was untreated seeds. In the second experiment, 0.5% water solution ZnSO4·7H2O was applied as foliar spraying at the end of anthesis. Overall experiment, seed priming with zinc significantly increased dry weight of main tiller as well as total dry weight of all tillers over control, whilst the effect of water priming was less pronounced, and differences between priming treatments were not significant for all tested cultivars on both locations. Zinc seed priming significantly increased grain yield over control for 8% and for 6% over seed priming with water, but the effect were not significant in both cropping seasons on both locations. Yield increase could not be conclusively associated with positive effect of seed priming on measured yield components. Therefore, further research is needed to study the effect of zinc priming on overwintering and tillering of wheat under local agroecological conditions. Single zinc foliar application at the end of anthesis significantly increased grain zinc concentration of all cultivars on both locations in two cropping seasons. Grain zinc level increase for tested cultivars ranged from 15% to 49%. Results showed for the first time that grain of local high yielding winter wheat can be biofortified with zinc by zinc foliar application which can be recommended for increase of zinc dietary intake in the human population and help alleviate a low dietary zinc intake. High grain yields are not likely to limit the potential for zinc biofortificatio