Agronomic biofortification of waterleaf (Talinum triangulare) with zinc applied via root

Abstract

Zinc (Zn) deficiency affects one-third of the world’s population, and agronomic biofortification is a good way to fight against this problem. Biofortification of leafy vegetables has been driven by their consumption, and, in this scenario, the waterleaf (Talinum triangulare) demonstrates good potential. Thus, this work aimed to verify the efficiency of agronomic biofortification of waterleaf with Zn applied via root. For the experiment, seedlings obtained with vegetative propagation by cuttings were used and cultivated in a mixture of sand and commercial substrate, initially in the laboratory. After acclimatization, the seedlings were transferred to a plant nursery, where NPK and Zn were applied, in six treatments (source Zinc Sulphate Heptahydrate, ZnSO₄.7H₂O), T1: control; T2: 12.5 mg kg^-1; T3: 25 mg kg^-1; T4: 50 mg kg^-1; T5: 100 mg kg^-1; T6: 400 mg kg^-1. The length, number of leaves, shoots, inflorescences, and diameter of the collection were measured. The leaf dry mass (LDM), stem (SDM), root (RDM), root-shoot ratio (R S^-1), leaf weight ratio (LWR), Dickson’s Quality Index (DQI), leaf and soil Zn levels, total proteins and soluble sugars (TSS) were analyzed. The dose of 400 mg kg^-1 provided toxicity to plants, and the dose of 100 mg kg^-1 demonstrated better results in plant growth and development and contents of proteins and zinc, with an increase of 4081% of Zn, indicating which is the most effective dose to be used in the biofortification of this species.

Key words:
growth and development; leafy vegetable; mineral nutrition; UFP; Zn