New publication from ZOMM project

WFSC researcher Julian Helfenstein and colleagues have published first results from the ZOMM project in PLoS ONE. The project looks at zinc uptake from soils and Zn concentration in wheat grains. The results now published suggest that organic wheat for Zn-richer than conventional wheat because of higher nutrient efficiency.

Experimental plot

The study, that is part of the ZOMM project, compared organic and conventional wheat cropping systems in central India with regard to plant available Zn, yield and grain Zn concentration. While plant availalbe Zn and yield were similar in both systems, organically grown wheat showed higher grain Zn concentrations. These findings suggest that organic farms, if managed accordingly, are competitive in terms of yield and grain Zn concentrations. The study was also able to demonstrate the importance of farmer training and organization, particularly on nutrient management.

Read full publication by Helfenstein et al. external pageonline.

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