This will also reduce the requirement of fertiliser by at least eight times. (Photo by Praveen Khanna/Representational) This will also reduce the requirement of fertiliser by at least eight times. (Photo by Praveen Khanna/Representational)

Scientists at the MACS-Agharkar Research Institute (ARI) in Pune have developed a nanofertiliser that can enhance the concentration of zinc in wheat. When the fertiliser is sprayed on the leaves of the crop at the grain filling stage, scientists found that zinc was enriched by 36 per cent using minimum concentration of fertiliser. This will also reduce the requirement of fertiliser by at least eight times.

Zinc deficiency is one of the lesser-known health issues, globally. In India, zinc deficiency is also not adequately addressed. Some of the main sources of zinc are green leafy vegetables, mushrooms and chicken. But these are not routinely consumed food sources and therefore, there is inadequate supply of this key micronutrient in the diet of the Indian population.

Deficiency of this micronutrient is rampant in pregnant women and children. It is linked to poor development of immune system, higher chances of developing retardation and harmful effects on reproductive health. Studies have also shown a close relation between zinc deficiency and diabetes.

Most interventions in improving the nutritive value of the food grain have largely concentrated on improving protein and carbohydrate content through nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (NPK) fertilisers, but enhancing micronutrients like zinc is often neglected.

At times, when chemical fertilisers are posing a greater threat to soil quality and are growing as a serious health hazard to people, the team from MACS-ARI, led by director KM Paknikar, carried out extensive four-year long field-tests on wheat variety MACS 3125, the institute’s indigenously developed variant.

This joint project was commissioned by the Indian Council for Agriculture Research (ICAR) in 2011. ARI researchers and their counterparts at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) aimed at addressing the zinc insufficiency in the country’s food crops. “We wanted to tackle the zinc deficiency so that the gap is filled through regularly consumed staple foods, like wheat. Zinc is among those nutrients that are not just vital for human health but can also address other serious medical conditions,” said Paknikar.

While fertilisers often overspill the crop and enter the soil ecosystem, adversely affecting its quality and risking chances of wastage, this nanofertiliser, when sprayed, will remain sticking to the leaves of the crop. South Asia leads in zinc deficiency worldwide, with 90 per cent of the population deficient in this nutrient. North America is at 74 per cent, South-East Asia at 72 per cent and Sub-Saharan Africa is at 70 per cent zinc deficiency. Regions where people have adequate zinc in their diet include Europe, US and Canada.

In addition to increasing the nutritive value of the wheat grain, researchers also found that concentrations of iron and protein were improving upon using this bio-fortified fertiliser. At the genetic level, the movement of zinc from the applied nanofertiliser is similar to the conventional zinc fertiliser. Since zinc is bound to these genes, the mobilisation of zinc and amino acids along with iron and other proteins within the grain was subsequently observed. This, in turn, adds to the nutritive value of the grain and ultimately, the food that we consume, explained Jyutika Rajwade and Manoj Oak, both ARI researchers.

Interestingly, when researchers harvested the wheat grown from their test fields at Baramati, 100 km from Pune, they discovered that neither the taste nor the quality of wheat sprayed with this nanofertiliser was affected. They confirmed that chapati or bread made from flour ground from this wheat matched the taste of all presently consumed wheat variants.

“We could get wheat grains with better nutritive value without compromising on the crop yield, protein content, spikelets per spike and or any affect on the thousand kernel weight of the wheat crop. Also, in one of our previous studies involving this project, we managed to track the path in which the sprayed fertiliser took, resulting in giving Zn-rich grains,” added Paknikar.

The team is planning to undertake similar exercises with rice and other staple foods, like jowar and bajra.

“With this new approach, it will be possible to work on to improve micro-nutrients in other grains and also in other crops,” said a senior ARI researcher.

📣 The Indian Express is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@indianexpress) and stay updated with the latest headlines

For all the latest India News, download Indian Express App.