Effect of Glycine Amino Acid Chelated Zinc and Iron on Yield, and Macro and Micronutrient Contents of Rice Aerial Tissues

Compared to the other micronutrient fertilizers, chelated amino acid can significantly improve rice growth, increase grain yield, and macro and micronutrient contents of rice aerial tissues due to better uptake, higher efficiency and nitrogen content. In this study, the effect of glycine amino acid chelated zinc and iron on yield, grain biofortification, and macro and micronutrient contents of rice aerial tissues was compared to zinc sulfate. The experimental treatments were conducted in a randomized complete block design with three replications on the most common Iranian local rice cultivar (Hashemi). The experimental treatments were the foliar application of 0.5, 1, and 1.5 kg ha-1 of Zn and Fe glycine amino acid chelates and ZnSO4 under recommended and 50% of the recommended NPK application. The highest increase in the grain yield was recorded at 0.5 kgha-1 Fe-glycine amino acid chelate by about 29.2%. The maximum increase percentage of Fe, Zn, N, P, and K content of rice grain was observed through foliar application of glycine amino acid chelated zinc and iron by about 32, 22,23,17 and 7%, respectively. This trend also was recorded for white rice and rice straw, but milling processes through removing of rice husk significantly reduced head rice iron, zinc, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium content by about 10 to 15.5, 0.5, 6.5, 3.8 to 8, and 8 to 12 times compared to rice grain.