Enrichment of bean seeds (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) using zinc (Zn) through foliar application

Resumo

Increasing the concentration of micronutrients in harvested products, especially zinc, is a growing challenge for agriculture, with the possibility of bringing benefits to human health and crop productivity. Therefore, this paper aimed to: (i) elucidate the effect of foliar application of zinc, starting at flower anthesis as a method to increase the content of the micronutrient in bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) grains in a substrate with appropriate content of the micronutrient, (ii) the use of different sources of zinc applied in a foliar via, to establish the best basis for increasing the micronutrient content in common beans, and (iii) the determination of the most suitable doses of zinc, applied by foliar spraying, to increase the nutrient content of common bean plants. Based on the results obtained, we concluded that the foliar application of zinc carried out periodically from the floral anthesis can increase the content of the micronutrient in bean grains. The most viable source for the enrichment of bean grains is zinc sulfate and all doses tested (125, 250, 375 and 500 g Zn ha^-1) applied via foliar were efficient for the enrichment of bean grains concerning the control (0 g Zn ha^-1).