Agronomic Bio-fortification of Zinc Improves the Yield and Quality of Fodder Oat

Oat is an important winter fodder crop grown in large areas all over the world. Oat is a good source of nutrition and energy, but it is poor in zinc. Presently, livestock is suffering from malnutrition due to a deficiency of zinc, which has a greater impact on livestock and ultimately on human health. An easy and cost-effective approach to adding nutrients to plants without altering their genetic makeup is agronomic biofortification. Application of nutrients to oat via bio-fortification may enhance the overall biomass production and quality of fodder. Hence, a field study was performed to understand the impact of bio-fortification with zinc on quality along with biomass production of oats. Treatment comprised of control (No Zn), Zn at 4 kg soil application, Zn at 6 kg soil application, Zn at 8 kg soil application, Zn at 4 kg soil application+0.5% zinc sulfate as foliar application, Zn at 6 kg soil application+0.5% zinc sulfate as foliar application and Zn at 8 kg soil application+0.5% zinc sulfate as foliar application. The study revealed that Zn at 6 kg soil application+0.5% zinc sulfate foliar application produced maximum plant height (207.7 cm), leaf area index (15.78), crop growth rate (9.1 gm-2day-1), stem diameter (0.073 cm), number of tillers (204), fresh fodder yield (76.6 t·ha-1), dry matter yield (32.27 t·ha-1), ash contents (10.3%) and plant zinc contents (70.0 ppm). Control treatment produced maximum crude fiber contents (40.70%), acid detergent fiber contents (35.77%), and neutral detergent fiber contents (72.71%). In conclusion, the bio-fortification of zinc not only enhanced the biomass and yield of oat but also increased the availability of zinc in plants.