1 Department of Soil and Environmental Sciences, The University of Agriculture, Peshawar, Pakistan.
2 Department of Agricultural Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Agriculture, Peshawar, Pakistan.
Research Article
World Journal of Advanced Research and Reviews, 2023, 20(03), 680-686
Received on 20 October 2023; revised on 07 December 2023; accepted on 10 December 2023
Zinc deficiency in maize plants is a common problem, particularly in calcareous soils with pH above 7. This study aimed to investigate the impact of zinc sulfate (ZnSO4) applied in different forms (foliar and soil application) and concentrations on maize yield, zinc uptake, and nutrient use efficiency (NUE) in calcareous soil. The results demonstrated that zinc application significantly increased maize yield, zinc uptake, NUE, and the uptake of Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium. Foliar application of ZnSO4 was more effective than soil application in enhancing zinc uptake, with the highest uptake observed in plants treated with 1.5% ZnSO4 foliar spray. Additionally, zinc application increased zinc content in grains and surface soil, with the highest zinc content in grains found in plants treated with 1.5% ZnSO4 foliar spray and the highest zinc content in surface soil observed in plants treated with 10 kg ha-1 ZnSO4 soil application. These findings suggested that foliar application of ZnSO4 is an effective strategy for improving zinc uptake and grain zinc content in maize plants grown in calcareous soils.
Zinc Uptake; NUE; Foliar Application; Calcareous Soil
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Zeeshan Khan Shah, Muhammad Baseer Us Salam, Shamsa and Suleman Ali. Enhancing maize yield and zinc uptake through foliar application of zinc sulfate in calcareous soil of Peshawar, Pakistan. World Journal of Advanced Research and Reviews, 2023, 20(3), 680-686. Article DOI: https://doi.org/10.30574/wjarr.2023.20.3.2448