Production potential of maize under agronomic biofortification

Micronutrient malnutrition is prevalent over recent decades due to the general depreciation of the quality of diet, both in developed and developing countries. The deficiencies of iron (Fe) and zinc (Zn) are critical public health problem worldwide with the negative impact on health, lifespan and productivity. Therefore, a field experiment was conducted during two consecutive seasons of kharif and rabi 2020–21 on sandy clayey loam soils of the ICAR-KVK Research Farm, Hans Roever Campus, Perambalur, Tamil Nadu, India to study the effect of agronomic biofortification on yield and its components of maize under cauvery delta condition. Two hybrids in main-plots both, QPM and non-QPM were sown by direct method on ridges at a spacing of 60 ˣ 20 cm under split plot design (SPD) with 6 treatments of nutrient levels in sub-plot combination under three replications. Results revealed that nutrient levels at 50% RDF through NPK + 50% RDF through FYM with Fe and Zn as foliar application @0.5% conc (S₆) at 45 (active vegetative stage) and 90 (grain filling stage) days after sowing (DAS) showed significant results in terms of growth attributes like, plant height, leaf area index, dry-matter accumulation, reduced days taken to 50% tasselling and 50% silking, and yield attributes like, cob length, no. of grains/row, cob weight, test weight, and yield like grain yield (8.27 and 8.52 t/ha) and stover yield (10.16 and 10.35 t/ha), and grain quality like crude protein content (14.65 and 14.93%), starch content (63.85 and 65.42 mg/g), Fe (37.80 and 36.25 mg/kg) and Zn (31.88 and 29.35 mg/kg) of maize grain in both seasons. Further examination is required in optimizing the dosage per hectare and in crop stages and location specific under maize cultivation to ensure sustainable and profitable farming systems.