International Journal of Pure & Applied Bioscience (IJPAB)
Year : 2017, Volume : 5, Issue : 3
First page : (251) Last page : (258)
Article doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.18782/2320-7051.2906
Seed Priming and Foliar Spray with Nano Zinc Improves Stress Adaptability and Seed Zinc Content without Compromising Seed Yield in Ragi (Finger millet)
Rameshraddy1, G. J. Pavithra1, Salimath Mahesh 1, K. N. Geetha2 and A. G. Shankar1*
1Department of Crop Physiology, 2Department of Agronomy
UAS, GKVK Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
*Corresponding Author E-mail: ambara8@hotmail.com
Received: 25.04.2017 | Revised: 8.05.2017 | Accepted: 10.05.2017
ABSTRACT
The decrease in nutritional content in the edible portion of crop plants can exuberate existing wide spread nutritional deficiency disorders. In particular, zinc (Zn) is being one of the important micronutrient for plant and human nutrition, deficiency is considered to be one of the leading risk factor. To address these problems, we have to think of a new technology like Nanotechnology to precisely detect and deliver the correct quantity of nutrients or other inputs required by crops that promote productivity and environmental safety. Nano-fertilizers are nutrient carriers of nano-fertilizers having <100 nm in size and they are capable of holding higher nutrient ions due to their high surface area. Nano-fertilizers and nanocomposites can be used to control the release of nutrients from the fertilizer granules so as to improve the nutrient use efficiency while preventing the nutrient ions either get fixed or lost to the environment. With this background we studied the effect of Zinc oxide (ZnO) nano particle on finger millet which is one of the important millet crops widely grown in southern India. Initially we standardized the Zn concentration for the seed priming with different concentration. 1000ppm of ZnO nano showed higher germination percent, root and shoot length compared to common ZnSO4 and Zn Gluconate. Further crop was grown in the pot culture experiment with different treatment and different method of application of Zn. ZnO nano treated plant with combination of seed priming and foliar application showed higher plant height, number of tillers, chlorophyll content and increased yield with high leaf and seed zinc content.
Key words: Nano-fertilizers, Nutrients, Micronutrient, Chlorophyll.
Full Text : PDF; Journal doi : http://dx.doi.org/10.18782
Cite this article: Rameshraddy, Pavithra, G.J., Mahesh, S., Geetha, K.N. and Shankar, A.G., Seed Priming and Foliar Spray with Nano Zinc Improves Stress Adaptability and Seed Zinc Content without Compromising Seed Yield in Ragi (Finger millet), Int. J. Pure App. Biosci.5(3): 251-258 (2017). doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.18782/2320-7051.2906
