In a field experiment on wheat, three levels of zinc (0, 10, 20 kg Zn ha−1) and four levels of phosphorus (0, 40, 80, 120 kg P2O5 ha−1) were tested to find out their effect on the concentration of micronutrients (Zn, Cu, Fe and Mn) in various parts of wheat plant at different stages of growth. The content of zinc in various plant parts increased with increased levels of zinc, but generally decreased with increasing levels of P application. The concentration of Cu was not influenced with the application of Zn but decreased with P application significantly. The content of Fe in grain and straw decreased with P application. The content of Mn was not influenced with applied Zn but phosphorus application significantly increased the Mn concentration up to level of P80 at all the stages but decreased at higher level. The yield of grain and straw increased significantly due to application of 10 kg Zn ha−1 by 12.9 and 11.4 per cent, respectively, over control. Phosphorus also increased the yield of wheat grain by 48 and straw by 42.6 per cent with the application of 80 kg P2O4.
Zn, Cu, Fe, Mn, different stages and parts of wheat plant
