Biofortification of Romanian and Egyptian Wheat Cultivars with Zinc and Its Effect on Yield

The study was carried out during the winter season of 2019/2020, 2020/2021 and 2021/2022 under irrigated farming conditions in Oraby Village Mariut sector, Alexandria, Egypt, where the common wheat varieties are grown, namely Giza 168 and Giza 171. These varieties spraying with Zn sulfate at a concentration of 5 g/L of water during tillering or milk stage and (tillering + milk stage). The results of soil test indicated that the soil has a lime texture, as the total CaCO3% exceeded 25%, and has a high alkaline reaction, and salt and Na level is also high. In addition, this soil is low in its content of O.M% and very low of its content of Zn. Spraying zinc sulphate with 5 g/L of water showed that there is a positive effect on growth parameters in cultivars Giza 171and 168 especially the two sprays in the tillering phase and the milky phase followed by the tillering phase compared to the control. The improvement in growth parameters reflected on the yield and its components, as the biological yield and harvest index increased. In Romania, the experiment took place in two representative areas for the country's agriculture - Agricultural Research and Development Station Lovrin (ARDS Lovrin), in the west of Romania and Agricultural Research and Development Station Turda (ARDS Turda), in the center of the country. The results obtained following the agronomic biofortification with zinc of three autumn wheat genotypes and one spring wheat genotype, carried out in different phenophases, highlight the greatest success in spring wheat, under the conditions of foliar application of zinc sulfate in the growth phase twinning of the crop, treatment preceded of seed treatment. The foliar treatment was carried out with a 5% zinc sulfate solution, the foliar treatment with a 0.5% zinc sulfate solution, and the ground treatment with 30 kg/ha zinc sulfate. The production obtained recommends foliar treatment with zinc, causing significant and distinctly significant increases at Ciprian wheat variety. In the Pădureni spring wheat variety, both variants of seed treatment with zinc led to significant increases of production.