Agronomic Biofortification of Unconventional Food Plants with Zinc

Zinc (Zn) biofortification in food plants presents a good strategy to address inadequate Zn intake by humans, a major health concern. Unconventional food plants (UFPs), known for their rich nutritional profile, offer an accessible and nutritious alternative to the food system. This study evaluated the response of selected UFP species to Zn application. An experiment with a completely randomized design was conducted using a 5 × 3 × 2 factorial scheme with four replicates. Five UFP species: <i>Lactuca</i> cf. <i>canadensis</i> L (Lc), <i>Pereskia aculeata</i> (Pa), <i>Rumex acetosa</i> (Ra), <i>Stachys byzantina</i> (Sb), and <i>Tropaeolum majus</i> (Tm) were tested with three Zn doses (0, 2, and 10 kg ha^-1) and two application methods (soil and foliar). The parameters evaluated included leaf number, chlorophyll content, fresh and dry mass, moisture, and mineral content. Foliar application proved to be the more efficient method, with Ra and Sb showing the greatest Zn accumulation. Kohonen's self-organizing maps efficiently explored correlations and groupings, revealing that Zn application influenced these attributes. Biofortified leaves of UFPs show strong potential in mitigating Zn nutritional deficiencies.