Effect of Zinc Nano-Fertilizer on Growth and Yield of Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) under Saline Irrigation Condition

Zinc (Zn) deficiency in crops as well as in humans is still an important health issue, mainly in developing countries which is mostly due to poor dietary intake. This problem can be solved by the application of Zn to cereals known as bio fortification. Nanotechnology is one of the options to enhance the nutritional value of crops as some engineered nano-particles (NPs) could be used as a fertilizer. Zinc can be used in the form of zinc oxide (ZnO) NPs. The present study used the direct precipitation method to prepare ZnO NPs, characterized it by using dynamic light scattering (DLS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) then evaluated the effect of Zinc nano-fertilizer on growth and yield of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). The field experiment consists of seed treatment, foliar application and combination of seed treatment as well as foliar application of bulk Zn sources and Nano Zn source. Results showed that the seed treatment of ZnO NPs @1000 ppm followed by three foliar sprays of ZnO NPs @1000 ppm at 21, 45 and 90 days after sowing proved to be significantly superior in enhancing the plant height, number of effective tillers per plant, spike length, test weight, grain and straw yields, grain and straw zinc content and uptake by grain and straw.