Effect of Zinc Microelement on Quality of Some Wheat Cultivars Grown in Central Anatolia

Authors: GÜLCAN KINACI

Abstract: Almost half of the cultivated areas of Turkey have been found to be zinc deficient. This deficiency is even more serious in Central Anatolia, the large cereal-producing region. Zinc is an essential element for nourishing plants, and also for normal development and functioning of humans and animals. Meeting the daily zinc requirement from diet is very difficult for people whose daily energy intake is based on cereals. However, wheat bread by itself contributes 40-70 % of daily energy intake for Turkish people. One way to overcome this problem is by increasing the zinc content of wheat by applying zinc to the soil. Results of studies carried on this matter have shown that yield performance of many wheat cultivars are also increased. However, yield increase may result in a considerable decrease in some quality features of wheats. This study was carried out in order to examine the effect of zinc application on some quality features of wheat, and to determine the level of the changes if any occurred. According to the results obtained in this investigation, thousand kernel weight, which is important evidence of flour yield, increased significantly with application of zinc. Sedimentation value, which is the most widely accepted measurement of the protein quality, did not show any significant changes.

Keywords:

Full Text: PDF