Effects of zinc fertilizer amendments on yield and grain zinc concentration under controlled environment conditions

The application of zinc (Zn) fertilizer to lentil is an agronomic strategy that has the potential to improve yield and enhance grain Zn concentration. A pot study was conducted to determine if Zn fertilizer applied to three popular Saskatchewan lentil cultivars could increase yield and concentration of Zn in the grain. The effects of soil and foliar applied Zn forms, including ZnSO4, Zn chelated with EDTA, Zn lignosulphonate, and a control were evaluated. Forms of Zn were not found to significantly increase yield (P = 0.828) or grain Zn concentration (P = 0.708) in any of the lentil cultivars tested. Fertilization with soil applied ZnSO4 resulted in significantly (P < 0.0001) higher amounts of residual available Zn in the soil relative to other Zn treatments. Soil fertilized with ZnSO4 had 1.13mg kg(-1) diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA)-extractable Zn compared to 0.84mg Zn kg(-1) and 0.77mg Zn kg(-1) in the soil and foliar applied chelated Zn, respectively.