P: ISSN No. 0976-8602 RNI No.  UPENG/2012/42622 VOL.- XII , ISSUE- III July  - 2023
E: ISSN No. 2349-9443 Asian Resonance

Effect of Different Sources and Levels of Zinc on the Yield, Quality and Growth of Wheat

Paper Id :  17901   Submission Date :  2023-07-07   Acceptance Date :  2023-07-21   Publication Date :  2023-07-25
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S.S. Hadole
Associate Professor
Deptt. Of Soil Science And Agricultural Chemistry
Dr.Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth,
Akola,Maharashtra., India,
Yugraj D. Gawande
M.Sc. Student
Deptt. Of Soil Science And Agricultural Chemistry
Dr.Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth,
Akola, Maharashtra., India
Shri. Prasant A. Sarap
Junior Scientist
Deptt. Of Soil Science And Agricultural Chemistry
Dr.Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth,
Akola, Maharashtra., India
Kritika Soni
M.Sc. Student,
Deptt. Of Soil Science And Agricultural Chemistry
Dr.Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth,
Akola, Maharashtra., India
Abstract

A field study entitled “Effect of different sources and levels of zinc on theyield , quality andgrowthof wheat” was conducted during Rabi 2021-2022 at Wheat Research Unit, Dr.Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth, Akola.The experimental soil collected from the wheat research unit field was slightly alkaline in reaction, medium in organic carbon, moderately calcareous, low in available N, medium in available P, remarkably high in available K, marginal in available S, and sufficient in micronutrients but deficient in Zn.The significantly highestyield,test weight, carbohydrates, and protein content were observed in the treatment of soil application of RDF + soil application of ZnSO4 @ 30 kg ha-1 along with a recommended dose of fertilizer (RDF) at the time of sowing recorded the highest wheat grain and straw yield.

Keywords Wheat, Zinc Sources (ZnSO4,Zn–EDTA), Quality Parameters (Protein, Carbohydrate).
Introduction

Wheat (Triticum aestivumL.) is an annual plant of the Poaceae family. It is the most widely cultivated staple food crop in the world. It is the second particularly important food crop consumed next to rice and contributes to the extent of 25 per cent of the total food grain production of the country. Wheat is called as “King of cereals.” The main species of wheat are common wheat (Triticum aestivumL..), Durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf.), and Emmer wheat(Triticum dicoccumSchrank).In India , wheat stands second in consideration to area and production after rice(FAOSTAT 2021). Katkaret al. (2013) experimented and give district-wise deficiency of micronutrients in Vidarbha. In all 498 soil samples were collected from 83 villages in 07 tehsils from the Akola districts where Akola shows 70.5% Zn deficiency. Zinc research in soil and plant carried out in the state is scattered, inadequate and could not give a clear picture of zinc nutrition in major crops and soils. In Maharashtra state, isolated attempts were made to work out a critical level of zinc in the soil and plants. Zinc is an important micronutrient and wheat is an important food grain crop. It is essential to evaluate the effect of different sources and levels of zinc on wheat yield, quality and uptake. Zinc (Zn) deficiency appears to be the most widespread and frequent micronutrient deficiency problem in crop and pasture plants worldwide, resulting in severe losses in yield and nutritional quality. This is particularly the case in cereal production areas. It is estimated that nearly half the soils on which cereals are grown have available Zn low enough to cause Zn deficiency. Since cereal grains have inherently low Zn concentrations, growing them on these potentially Zn-deficient soils further decreases the grain Zn concentration. It is therefore not surprising that the well-documented Zn deficiency problem in humans occurs predominantly in the countries/regions such as India, China, Pakistan, and Turkey where soils are low in available Zn, where cereals are the major source of calorie intake (Alloway, 2008).

Objective of study

To study the effect of different sources and levels of zinc on the growth ,yield and quality of wheat.

Review of Literature

India occupies 329 million hectares of land and area wise it ranks seventh in the world with 17% population and 2.5% world area. Omnibus signs are that by 2050 India will become the most populous nation in the world. These become a great challenge to fulfill the demand by increasing the food grain quality and production. Efficient fertilizer management is very important factor to enhance the yield potential. Zinc an essential element for the normal growth and development of plants. It plays vital role in enzyme activation and also involved in the biosynthesis of some enzymes and growth hormones (Marschner, 1995). Zinc deficiency is a very important nutrient problem in the Indian soils. Total Zn concentration is sufficient in many agricultural areas, but available Zn concentration is deficient because of different soil and climatic conditions. Soil pH, lime content, organic matter amount, clay type and amount and the amount of applied phosphorus fertilizer affect the available Zn concentration in soil (Adiloglu&Adiloglu, 2006) [2] . In soil Zn deficiency is very common in cereal based cropping system (Cakmak, 2002) [4] . Zinc deficiency is a prevalent micronutrient deficiency in wheat, leading to severe reduction in wheat production and nutritional quality of grains (Cakmak et al., 1996) [5] . Wheat is the most widely grown cereal crop in the world and as a staple food it is second only to rice in consumption. Generally, the regions with severe zinc-deficient soils are also the regions where zinc deficiency in human beings is very common. Therefore, there is a great need to improve cereal crops with adequate zinc nutrition. (Adil et al., 2022) stated that the ZnO nanoparticles applied at the time of sowing had a positive effect on the wheat yield under salt stress. Rehman et al.,(2020) reported that Zn application through soil , foliage or seed treatment methods improves the Zn concentration in whole grain as well as in different seed parts such as endosperm , aleurone layer and embryo.

Main Text

T1

The recommended dose of fertilizer (RDF) is 80:40:40 NPK kg ha-1

T2

RDF + Soil application of ZnSO4 @ 15 kg ha-1

T3

RDF + Soil application of ZnSO4 @ 30 kg ha-1

T4

RDF + Soil application of Zn EDTA @ 1.5 kg ha-1

T5

RDF + Soil application of Zn EDTA @ 3.0 kg ha-1

T6

RDF + Foliar application of ZnSO4 @ 0.5% at CRI, tillering and milking stage

T7

RDF + Foliar application of ZnSO4 @ 1.0% at CRI, tillering and milking stage

T8

RDF + Foliar application of Zn EDTA @ 0.25% at CRI, tillering and milking stage

T9

RDF + Foliar application of Zn EDTA @ 0.5% at CRI, tillering and milking stage

 

Methodology

The field experiment was conducted at the Wheat Research Unit, Dr.Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth, Akola, during the rabi season 2021 – 22. Akola is situated in the subtropical zone and is located at the latitude of 20° 70’ 02” North and longitude of 77° 00’ 81” East, at an altitude of 307.42 m above mean sea level (MSL). The experimental field is situated at the latitude of 20° 41' 36.2" North and longitude 77° 02' 07.5" East at the altitude of 30.78 m above mean sea level (MSL). Grain yield: Five plants from respective plots were harvested, threshed and grains were collected. The weight of grains was recorded and expressed as q ha-1. Straw yield: The weight of the husk was calculated by deducting grain weight from the total weight of the crop and was expressed as q ha-1.

Result and Discussion

Effect of different sources and levels of zinc on grain and straw yield of wheat

The data about grain and straw yield is presented in Table 1. and depicted in Fig. 1.

The significantly higher grain yield (43.14 q ha-1) of wheat was observed in the treatment of soil application RDF + ZnSO4 @ 30 kg ha-1 (T3) and it was at par with treatments RDF + soil application of Zn EDTA @ 3.0 kg ha-1 (T5), RDF + soil application of ZnSO4 @ 15 kg ha-1 (T2) and RDF + soil application of Zn EDTA @ 1.5 kg ha-1 (T4). The lowest seed yield of wheat (35.98 q ha-1) was recorded in RDF (T1).

The soil application of zinc as ZnSO4 @ 30 kg ha-1 (T3) increased the grain yield over RDF 80:40:40 kg ha-1 (T1) and it was significantly higher over other treatments. RDF + soil application of Zn EDTA @ 3.0 kg ha-1 (T5), RDF + soil application of ZnSO4 @ 15 kg ha-1 (T2) and RDF + soil application of Zn EDTA @ 1.5 kg ha-1 (T4). increased the grain yield over RDF respectively. RDF + Foliar application of ZnSO4 @ 1.0% at CRI, tillering and milking stage (T7), RDF + Foliar application of ZnSO4 @ 0.5% at CRI, tillering and milking stage (T6), RDF + Foliar application of Zn EDTA @ 0.25% at CRI, tillering and milking stage (T8) and RDF + Foliar application of Zn EDTA @ 0.5% at CRI, tillering and milking stage (T9), also increased over RDF respectively. The RDF 80:40:40 NPK kg ha-1 (T1) treatment decreased the seed yield because of the deficient nutrient content in the soil.

A similar result is in close agreement with the findings reported by Keramet al. (2013) who reported that an increase in grain size and number of grains per ear head has a positive correlation with grain yield.

The significantly higher wheat straw yield (65.23 q ha-1) was also observed with RDF + soil application of ZnSO4 @ 30 kg ha-1 (T3) and it was found to be at par with RDF + soil application of Zn EDTA @ 3.0 kg ha-1 (T5), RDF + soil application of ZnSO4 @ 15 kg ha-1 (T2) and RDF + soil application of Zn EDTA @ 1.5 kg ha-1 (T4). The lowest straw yield of wheat (52.30 qha-1) was recorded in RDF 80:40:40 NPK kg ha-1 (T1) treatment.

The increased straw yield might be due to zinc involvement in various physic-chemical and biochemical processes. Similar results quoted by Haslett et al. (2001), Mohammad et al. (2009), Yassenet al. (2010) and Shivayetal. (2013) reported the increased straw yield over the RDF. Our results arein line with Ram et al. (2012) who showed that the soil application of Zn had economic and long-term effects onenhanced crop production on Zn-deficient soils.

Zinc is a constituent of several enzymes such as carbonic hydrogenase and also helps in the formation of growth hormones such as auxin, which promote the starch formation and seed maturation. This could be the reason for the increased grain and straw yield of wheat.

Table 1: Effect of different sources and levels of zinc on grain and straw yield of Wheat

Treatments

Yield (q ha-1)

Grain

Straw

T1

RDF (Control)

35.98

52.30

T2

RDF + Soil application of ZnSO4 @ 15 kg ha-1

41.50

62.51

T3

RDF + Soil application of ZnSO4 @ 30 kg ha-1

43.14

65.23

T4

RDF + Soil application of Zn EDTA @ 1.5 kg ha-1

41.11

61.98

T5

RDF + Soil application of Zn EDTA @ 3.0 kg ha-1

42.26

64.12

T6

RDF + Foliar application of ZnSO4 @ 0.5% at CRI, tillering and milking stage

37.08

54.38

T7

RDF + Foliar application of ZnSO4 @ 1.0% at CRI, tillering and milking stage

37.52

55.57

T8

RDF + Foliar application of Zn EDTA @ 0.25% at CRI, tillering and milking stage

36.20

53.57

T9

RDF + Foliar application of Zn EDTA @ 0.5% at CRI, tillering and milking stage

36.08

53.08

SE (m)±

1.82

2.72

CD at 5%

5.45

8.15

 

Fig. 1:Effect of different sources and levels of zinc on grain and straw yield ofwheat


Effect of different sources and levels of zinc on test weight of wheat

The data about quality parameters are presented in Table 2. and depicted in Fig. 2, Fig. 3 and Fig.4.

The weight of grain is an important yield component and made a major contribution to the grain yield of wheat. The higher 1000 grains weight of a crop depicts its efficacy to store more and more photosynthates in the seed. It was seen that seed weight was higher (44.41 g) in the treatment of RDF + soil application of ZnSO4 @ 30 kg ha-1 (T3) and it also contributed to the grain yield of wheat. This treatment was higher than RDF which indicates that the application of zinc increased the grain weight but was significantly at par with treatments such as RDF + Zn EDTA @ 3.0 kg ha-1 (T5), RDF + soil application of ZnSO4 @ 15 kg ha-1 (T2) and RDF + Zn EDTA @ 1.5 kg ha-1 (T4). The lowest test weight (34.73 g) was seen in the treatment RDF 80:40:40 NPK kg ha-1 (T1) because the soil was deficient in most of the nutrients.

The present result was supported by Abbas et al. (2009). Similarly, Khan et al. (2007) in an experiment on wheat and rice using different levels of zinc reported an increase in the 1000-grain weight of wheat significantly over the control. 

Effect of different sources and levels of zinc on the content of carbohydrates in wheat

Carbohydrates are polyhydroxy organic compounds made up of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen in which the ratio of hydrogen and oxygen is 2:1. The main sources of carbohydrates in plants are starch (storage forms are carbohydrate) for chlorophyll-containing plants e.g., cereals, potatoes, legumes, millets etc.

It is observed from table 2 that carbohydrate content shows significant variation due to various micronutrient levels. Maximum carbohydrate content (65.67%) was recorded by application of RDF + soil application of ZnSO4 @ 30 kg ha-1 (T3). It was seen that all the treatments except (RDF) 80:40:40 NPK kg ha-1 (T1), RDF + Foliar application of Zn EDTA @ 0.25% at CRI, tillering and milking stage (T8) and RDF + Foliar application of Zn EDTA @ 0.5% at CRI, tillering and milking stage (T9). were statistically at par with each other and the lowest carbohydrate content (54.65%) was reported on treatment (RDF) 80:40:40 NPK kg ha-1 (T1).

These results were shown due to the application of zinc with RDF is required for carbohydrates metabolism; most enzymes that play a role in carbohydrates metabolism are activated by zinc. Carbonic anhydrase, fructose 1, 6 biphosphate and aldolase enzymes are activated by zinc. These enzymes are active in the chloroplast. The activity of these enzymes decreased zinc deficiency conditions, in resulting carbohydrates accumulated in plant leaves.

These results were supported by the results obtained by Keramet al. (2012) who suggested that the application of ZnSO4 with RDF will increase the carbohydrate content in wheat.

Effect of different sources and levels of zinc on the content of protein in wheat

Proteins are complex organic compounds that are macromolecules or biomolecules composed of amino acids linked by a peptide bond. Protein is having a relationship with nitrogen content. Protein content (12.73%) was shown maximum in the treatment RDF + soil application of ZnSO4 @ 30 kg ha-1 (T3) which was due to higher nitrogen content in the grain. which was statistically at par with treatments such as RDF + Zn EDTA @ 3.0 kg ha-1 (T5), RDF + soil application of ZnSO4 @ 15 kg ha-1 (T2), RDF + Zn EDTA @ 1.5 kg ha-1 (T4), RDF + Foliar application of ZnSO4 @ 1.0% at CRI, tillering and milking stage (T7) and RDF + Foliar application of ZnSO4 @ 0.5% at CRI, tillering and milking stage (T6). It was observed that there was an increase in protein content higher than treatment (RDF) 80:40:40 NPK kg ha-1 (T1) and the lowest protein content (10.48%) was reported on treatment (RDF) 80:40:40 NPK kg ha-1 (T1).

Yassenet al. (2010) observed the increased protein content with the application of zinc and also these results were supported by Zeidanet al. (2010).

This might be due to zinc being an essential element in the enzyme structure involved in amino acid biosynthesis and because zinc is the main component of the ribosome and is essential for their development.

Table 2: Effect of different sources and levels of zinc on test weight, carbohydrate and protein content in wheat grains

Treatments

Test weight (g)

Carbohydrate content (%)

Protein content (%)

T1

RDF (Control)

34.73

54.65

10.48

T2

RDF + Soil application of ZnSO4 @ 15 kg ha-1

40.34

64.80

12.62

T3

RDF + Soil application of ZnSO4 @ 30 kg ha-1

44.41

65.67

12.73

T4

RDF + Soil application of Zn EDTA @ 1.5 kg ha-1

40.10

62.95

12.51

T5

RDF + Soil application of Zn EDTA @ 3.0 kg ha-1

41.39

65.02

12.67

T6

RDF + Foliar application of ZnSO4 @ 0.5% at CRI, tillering and milking stage

37.85

58.47

12.14

T7

RDF + Foliar application of ZnSO4 @ 1.0% at CRI, tillering and milking stage

38.37

60.33

12.25

T8

RDF + Foliar application of Zn EDTA @ 0.25% at CRI, tillering and milking stage

37.23

55.75

10.80

T9

RDF + Foliar application of Zn EDTA @ 0.5% at CRI, tillering and milking stage

36.25

54.98

10.59

SE (m)±

1.80

2.79

0.57

CD at 5%

5.40

8.36

1.70

  

Fig.2:Effect of different sources and levels of zinc on test weightof wheat


Fig.3:Effect of different sources and levels of zinc on carbohydratescontent in the wheat


Fig. 4:Effect of different sources and levels of zinc on proteincontent in the wheat

Effect of different sources and levels of zinc on plant height of wheat

The data pertaining to the height of wheat plants on 60 DAS, 90 DAS and at harvest is reported in Table 1. and depicted in Fig. 1.

Plant height reflects the vegetative growth behaviour of crop plants to the environment and applied inputs. The plant tends to grow to a certain height in each growth stage. A glance at the data would indicate that the height of plants increased with the advancement of crop age. It was observed that the mean plant height increased progressively and reached its maximum at harvest.

Zinc application on wheat significantly increased the plant height at 60, 90 DAS and at harvest as compared to the recommended dose of fertilizer (RDF) 80:40:40 kg ha-1 (T1).

Significantly higher plant height was observed in RDF + soil application of ZnSO4 @ 30 kg ha-1 (T3) in 60 DAS, 90 DAS and at harvest observations (98.11, 101.76 and 104.26 cm) respectively.





Table 1: Effect of different sources and levels of zinc on plant height of wheat

Treatments

At 60 DAS (cm)

At 90 DAS (cm)

At harvest (cm)

T1

RDF (Control)

81.00

82.44

84.46

T2

RDF + Soil application of ZnSO4 @ 15 kg ha-1

95.72

98.99

101.45

T3

RDF + Soil application of ZnSO4 @ 30 kg ha-1

98.11

101.76

104.26

T4

RDF + Soil application of Zn EDTA @ 1.5 kg ha-1

86.69

88.49

90.61

T5

RDF + Soil application of Zn EDTA @ 3.0 kg ha-1

96.38

99.74

102.21

T6

RDF + Foliar application of ZnSO4 @ 0.5% at CRI, tillering and milking stage

84.98

87.42

88.98

T7

RDF + Foliar application of ZnSO4 @ 1.0% at CRI, tillering and milking stage

85.94

87.65

89.77

T8

RDF + Foliar application of Zn EDTA @ 0.25% at CRI, tillering and milking stage

82.72

84.06

86.12

T9

RDF + Foliar application of Zn EDTA @ 0.5% at CRI, tillering and milking stage

82.40

83.71

85.77

SE (m)±

4.14

4.22

4.29

CD at 5%

12.41

12.64

12.87

 

Fig. 1:Effect of different sources and levels of zinc on plant height of wheat

The levels of zinc favourably influenced the plant height of wheat at various growth stages. Plant height increased with an advance in the age of the crop up to harvest. The data on plant revealed that RDF + soil application of ZnSO4 @ 30 kg ha-1 (T3) recorded significant maximum plant height over other treatments at 60 DAS (98.11 cm), 90 DAS (101.76 cm) and at harvest (104.26 cm). and found treatments were significantly at par with RDF + soil application of Zn EDTA @ 3.0 kg ha-1 (T5), RDF + soil application of ZnSO4 @ 15 kg ha-1 (T2), RDF + soil application of Zn EDTA @ 1.5 kg ha-1 (T4) and RDF + Foliar application of ZnSO4 @ 1.0% at CRI, tillering and milking stage (T7) at 60, 90 and at harvest DAS.

Significant minimum plant height was recorded in the recommended dose of fertilizer (RDF) 80:40:40 kg ha-1 (T1).

The increase in plant height of wheat due to zinc through soil application corroborates with the findings of Ranjbar and Bahamian (2007) who reported that the plant height of wheat increased with the application of zinc.

Khan et al. (2007) also suggested that there was an increase in plant height due to zinc application.

The increase in plant height under zinc treatments might be due to its effect on the metabolism of growing plants, which may effectively explain the response of zinc application. 

Effect of different sources and levels ofzinc on the number of tillers,dry matteraccumulation and number of grains perspike of wheat

The data pertaining to the number of tillers per plant, dry matter accumulation, and the number of grains per spike are reported in Table 2.

Crop yields depend upon the dry matter production of the plant; therefore, high production of total dry matter appears to be the first prerequisite for high yield. Dry matter accumulation increases throughout the growth cycle and attains the highest value at maturity because of the accumulation of photosynthates in the sink.

Tillers are the grain-bearing part and it possesses the leaves. The application of zinc either as soil or foliar application through ZnSO4 and Zn EDTA was found to be non-significant. But the maximum number of tillers (7.53 tillers plant-1) was found in the soil application of zinc as RDF + soil application of ZnSO4 @ 30 kg ha-1 (T3) and the lowest number of tillers (7.00 tillers plant-1) was seen in the recommended dose of fertilizer (RDF) 80:40:40 NPK kg ha-1 (T1) treatment.

Overall plant growth is directly reflected in the production of tillers in the wheat plants. Therefore, the counting of tillers provides an adequate basis for measuring the treatment differences owing to various micronutrient treatments. The application of zinc with RDF might have increased the use efficiency of added nutrients and supplied it continuously to the plant throughout the crop growth period and promoted various physiological activities in the plant which are considered to be indispensable for proper growth and development. Zinc also helped in the formation of growth hormones and auxin metabolism which helped the plant increase in tillers.

These findings are in accordance with Dewal and Pareek (2004), Dhaliwal et al. (2012) and Khan (2002) also concluded that the application of zinc increased the number of tillers significantly over control treatment.



Table 2: Effect of different sources and levels of zinc on the number oftillers, dry matter accumulation and the number of grains per spikeof wheat

Treatments

Number of tillers plant-1

Dry matter accumulation

(g plant-1)

Number of grains spike-1

T1

RDF (Control)

7.00

4.94

44.27

T2

RDF + Soil application of ZnSO4 @ 15 kg ha-1

7.40

5.53

51.13

T3

RDF + Soil application of ZnSO4 @ 30 kg ha-1

7.53

6.28

53.27

T4

RDF + Soil application of Zn EDTA @ 1.5 kg ha-1

7.33

5.51

50.60

T5

RDF + Soil application of Zn EDTA @ 3.0 kg ha-1

7.47

5.85

52.20

T6

RDF + Foliar application of ZnSO4 @ 0.5% at CRI, tillering and milking stage

7.13

5.29

45.53

T7

RDF + Foliar application of ZnSO4 @ 1.0% at CRI, tillering and milking stage

7.20

5.35

46.40

T8

RDF + Foliar application of Zn EDTA @ 0.25% at CRI, tillering and milking stage

7.07

5.16

44.53

T9

RDF + Foliar application of Zn EDTA @ 0.5% at CRI, tillering and milking stage

7.07

5.03

44.53

SE (m)±

0.33

0.26

2.27

CD at 5%

NS

0.78

6.80


Fig. 2:Effect of different sources and levels of zinc on grain and straw yield of wheat

Maximum total dry matter accumulation (6.28 g plant-1) was observed in RDF + soil application of ZnSO4 @ 30 kg ha-1 (T3). But this value was found to be statistically at par with treatments such as RDF + soil application of Zn EDTA @ 3.0 kg ha-1 (T5), RDF + soil application of ZnSO4 @ 15 kg ha-1 (T2) and RDF + soil application of Zn EDTA @ 1.5 kg ha-1 (T4). The lower dry matter accumulation (4.94 g plant-1) was found in the RDF 80:40:40 NPK kg ha-1 (T1) treatment. The apparent and significantly higher dry matter accumulation in the wheat plant was obtained with soil application of RDF + ZnSO4 @ 30 kg ha-1 (T3) compared to the values obtained in other treatments in this study, which might be due to better nourishment derived from the soil as a result of balanced fertilization which improved soil nutrient status. This may be due to the zinc addition in combination with RDF as soil application provided distribution of zinc within the wheat plant through the xylem and translocate in the phloem, which increases vegetative tissue formation resulting in the improved photosynthetic activity, which shows boosted growth of plant parts and increment in dry matter.

These results were in support of the results of Chandrakumaret al. (2002), and Dewal and Pareek et al. (2004). Yin et al. (2016) also suggested that there is an increase in the biomass of paddy plants through soil application as compared to foliar application.

The numbers of grains spike-1 (53.27 grains spike-1) were significantly superior in RDF + soil application of ZnSO4 @ 30 kg ha-1 (T3) than in other treatments which were higher over the recommended dose of fertilizer (RDF) 80:40:40 NPK kg ha-1 (T1) treatment which shows that application of zinc increased its reproductive potential. The lowest number of grains spike-1 (44.27 grains spike-1) was found in the RDF (T1) treatment.

The favourable response of zinc application to the number of seeds has also been reported by Habib (2009) in wheat who reported that there is an increase in the number of seeds per earhead with the application of zinc. Yassenet al. (2010) also reported an increase in grains per ear head with the increase in zinc doses in wheat.

Findings To study the effect of different sources and levels of zinc on the growth, yield and quality of wheat.
Conclusion

From the present investigation, it is concluded that the soil application of ZnSO4 @ 30 kg ha-1 along with a recommended dose of fertilizer significantly influenced the yield, test weight,,carbohydrate and protein. Also, concluded that soil application was better than a foliar application of zinc. Therefore, it is concluded that the soil application of ZnSO4 @ 30 kg ha-1 along with a recommended dose of fertilizer recorded significant increases in yield, test weight, carbohydrates and protein.

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