Foliar application of pesticides together with Zn fertiliser is a worthwhile and practical strategy to reduce application costs. A tank mix of zinc, thiamethoxam and propiconazole is safe and non-toxic to the crop, and the constituents are not antagonists to each other for pest management and biofortification. Due to cost effectiveness, farmers can make use of such combinations to control pests along with biofortification.

High-quality rice seeds produce uniform seed emergence in the direct seed sowing and a vigorous seedling rapidly improves seedling recovery after transplanting in the puddled field. A common problem for rice growers in the cultivation systems is low seed germination rates and seedling non-uniformity. Simultaneous priming of rice seed with Zn+K can be used to improve seed germination and seedling growth, whereas additional foliar Zn application increases grain yield and grain Zn concentration.

Zinc (Zn) deficiency is major cause of micronutrient disorder in populations consuming cereal-based diets, particularly in developing countries where the high cost of chemical Zn fertilisers leads to low rates of soil and foliar Zn application. Seed priming with Zn is a cost-effective and ecofriendly approach which can enhance wheat productivity and grain biofortification. This study found that seeds of bread wheat may be primed with 0.5 M ZnSO4 as a Zn source for improving plant physiology, yield and grain biofortification.

The article is bound to draw the attention of researchers and scientists towards the pigmented rice, the rich source of essential minerals including P, Zn, Fe, Mg, Cu, and Mn. This research gives an idea that pigmented rice should be used in rice-breeding programs to make rice an important functional food. In addition to that, the foliar spray of Zn on rice is an important management practice to boost grain Zn concentration, decrease phytic acid and increase mineral bioavailability. This is thought-giving research to rice breeders and agronomists on how they can make rice an excellent functional food for the global population.

Zinc (Zn) deficiency is a global concern for human as well as animal health, but Zn fertilisation for productivity and biofortification of forages is not well studied. In our experiment, ZnSO₄ fertilisation (15 kg ha⁻¹) improved morphological traits, dry biomass yield, nutritional quality and straw Zn concentration of triticale, barley, oat and rye grass forage. In conclusion, a 15 kg ZnSO₄ ha⁻¹ fertilisation may be recommended to obtain higher fodder yield, forage quality and Zn biofortification in grass forages in semi-arid regions.

Biofortification of staple food crops with essential micronutrients has emerged as a sustainable solution to diminish malnutrition, especially in developing countries. This study showed PGP strains (Streptomyces) enhanced yield and nutritional traits (Fe, Zn) of pearl millet hybrids under greenhouse and field conditions. This study suggests the use of selected plant-growth promoters for enhancing stover and grain yield and its nutrient concentrations in pearl millet and can complement the existing conventional biofortification strategies.

Boron (B) deficiency is the leading constraint to chickpea productivity in Pakistan. Results of this study elucidated that B seed priming at lower rates (0.001% and 0.0001%) along with seed inoculation with B-tolerant bacteria (Bacillus sp. MN54) improved the productivity and grain-B biofortification of chickpea. Higher levels of B seed priming (>0.1% B solution) proved toxic, with no germination recorded.

Plant growth-promoting bacteria are considered a possible promising biofortification intervention to address micronutrient malnutrition. Seed-applied zinc-solubilising Bacillus biofertiliser improved antioxidant enzyme activities and growth and yield attributes of maize, and biofortified maize grains under field conditions. Micronutrient biofortification in maize grains via biofertiliser application could be implemented to overcome malnutrition issues in regions with cereal-based staple diets.

Spring wheat grain ionomics analysis was conducted to evaluate the relative contributions of environment and genotype to variation in elemental composition, based on data from six sites in Kazakhstan and Russia in 2017–18. For concentrations of P, S, Cu, Mn and Mo, the effect of site was 2–3 times higher than the effect of genotype, whereas for Ca, Mg, Fe, Cd and Sr, genotype and site effects were similar. A combination of high grain yield, relatively high protein content, and high concentration of P, S, Mn, Cu and/or Zn was identified in three genotypes.

An effective solution to address global human Zn deficiency is to increase Zn concentration and grain yield of staple food crops, but this has rarely been achieved in many wheat production regions. This study quantified the adequate Zn uptake or distribution to achieve high grain Zn concentration (∼40 mg kg⁻¹) and high yield (∼7 t ha⁻¹) for bread wheat. The findings can provide quantitative guidelines for improving wheat Zn nutrition in different environments.

This paper deals with the effects of phosphorus (P) supply and salinity on zinc (Zn), iron (Fe) and selenium (Se) accumulation in wheat, as well as the genotypic difference in Zn, Fe and Se accumulation among genotypes. Significant interactive effects between P supply and salinity were detected on Zn, Fe and Se accumulation, suggesting that P supply is a key factor regulating biomass and accumulation of Zn, Fe and Se in certain saline soils. Substantial genotypic differences among genotypes provided potential scope for genetic improvement.

Soil salinity is a serious environmental issue that is reducing crop productivity and the uptake of important micronutrients including iron and zinc in different plants. The present work identified the wheat genotypes with better iron and zinc uptake potential under saline and nutrient limited conditions. The results are very promising for farmers to select best wheat genotypes for saline soils prune to nutrient deficiency.

This study investigated the potential of Si and Zn enriched miscanthus biochar to reduce the toxic impacts of NaCl stress on early growth stage of radish crop. Si-En-Bc proved to be the best treatment while Zn-En-Bc not only compensate NaCl stress but also enhance Zn availability. Overall, Si and Zn enriched miscanthus biochar could be an excellent addition to the available organic amendments against NaCl stress for increasing soil fertility and improving plant nutritional and defensive mechanisms.

Heavy-metal accumulation in plants is inevitable. Plant sustenance under elevated cellular heavy metals is decided by their inherent capacity of the potential in synthesising metal-chelating and/or -detoxifying compounds. Sulfur (S) is the most important element that is incorporated into cysteine (Cys), which acts as a precursor for several reduced S compounds. Thus, S contributes to resistance of plants to heavy metals.

Flooding conditions will result in excess accumulation of arsenic (As) in the grains of rice plants. NaH₂PO₄ generally enhanced the soil release of As and Sb by increasing pH and competitive adsorption in the soil, which resulted in their accumulation in many tissues of the rice plants. The treatment of CaCl₂ at 200 mg kg⁻¹ was most effective for reducing As, Sb and Cd concentrations in the grains.

As compared with other biologically essential metals (Mn, Cu and Zn), Cd is not considered essential because its biological function is not reported in literature. It has a wide range of toxic effects on seed germination and other physiological and biochemical processes. In this study, the role of enzymatic antioxidative enzymes, malondialdehyde (MDA), ascorbic acid (AsA) and total phenols in ameliorating phytotoxic effects of cadmium was upraised in two most widely cultivated maize genotypes.