The effectiveness of seed priming and foliar application of zinc- amino acid chelates in comparison with zinc sulfate on yield and grain nutritional quality of common bean
Marjan Tabesh, Shahram Kiani, Amir Hossein Khoshgoftarmanesh
Abstract
The efficacy of seed priming and foliar application of zinc-amino acid chelates including zinc-histidine [Zn(His)2] and zinc-methionine [Zn(Met)2] in comparison with zinc sulfate (ZnSO4) on yield and grain nutritional quality of two common bean cultivars (Phaseolus vulgaris L., cvs Talash and Sadri) was investigated in a severely Zn-deficient calcareous soil (DTPA-Zn: 0.38 mg kg−1 soil) in a pot experiment. Bean response to Zn application varied depending on the Zn fertilizer, application method and cultivar. In ‘Talash’, seed priming with [Zn(His)2] and [Zn(Met)2] led to 24.1 and 11.6% increase in the grain yield of bean in comparison with ZnSO4 treatment, respectively. In both cultivars, foliar application of [Zn(His)2] led to significant increase in the grain yield in comparison with ZnSO4. The highest grain Zn concentration was obtained by seed priming with [Zn(Met)2] in ‘Sadri’ and [Zn(His)2] in ‘Talash’, respectively. For Zn-amino acid chelates, seed priming was more effective than foliar application in increasing grain yield and Zn concentration. Foliar application of [Zn(His)2] and [Zn(Met)2] in ‘Sadri’ and [Zn(Met)2] in ‘Talash’ resulted in higher protein content in bean grain as compared with ZnSO4. In both cultivars, foliar application of [Zn(Met)2] was the more effective than seed priming to increase grain protein content. The highest water-soluble carbohydrates concentration of grain was obtained by seed priming with [Zn(Met)2] and [Zn(His)2] in ‘Sadri’ and ‘Talash’ cultivars, respectively. Therefore, seed priming with [Zn(His)2] and ZnSO4 in ‘Sadri’ and [Zn(Met)2] in ‘Talash’ can effectively be used for improving yield of common bean in Zn-deficient calcareous soils.