Determination of critical level of zinc in non-calcareous soils for predicting response of wheat to applied zinc

Abstract

Studies were conducted in ten non-calcareous arid brown soils (India) to determine the critical level of soil Zn for predicting response of wheat to zinc fertilization. The per cent mean response at 5 mg kg⁻¹ added Zn varied from 1.3 to 51.4 with a mean value of 17.5 per cent over control in terms of grain yield (g pot⁻¹). Further, Zn application resulted in significant increase in Zn concentration in various plant parts in all the soils irrespective of the initial Zn status. The critical level of Zn in soil and plant below which response to applied Zn may be expected was found to be 1.75 mg kg⁻¹ for 0.1 N HC1 extractable soil Zn and 1.7 mg kg⁻¹ for plant tissue Zn.