Hydrolysed wool: a novel soil amendment for zinc and iron biofortification of wheat

摘要

Abstract Biofortification—with either the application of zinc and iron fertilizer or the application of amendments to increase their bioavailability in soil—is a possible strategy to tackle worldwide micronutrient malnutrition. We investigated the effect of hydrolysed wool on the uptake of zinc and iron by wheat (Triticum aestivum var. Greina). We performed pot experiments in which either hydrolysed wool or mineral fertilizer of the same elemental composition was incorporated into a loamy-sand collected from an agricultural field. Zinc grain concentrations were 37.7 mg kg?1 (control), 45.5 mg kg?1 (mineral fertilization) and 54.1 mg kg?1 (hydrolysed wool). In addition, hydrolysed wool application increased grain yield 2-fold and grain protein content 1.5-fold, compared with 1.4-fold and 1.3-fold, respectively, by the mineral fertilizer. We propose that hydrolysed wool could be used to supplement other fertilizers, enhancing the latter with an easily available N source as well as promoting zinc and iron up...