Mineral enrichment in carrot with different sources and doses of zinc

ABSTRACT Zinc (Zn) deficiency in soil and plants and its low nutritional status in the population encourage studies on enrichment of agricultural products. Carrot has potential to enrichment because it is a commonly consumed vegetable. The objective of this study was to evaluate Zn sources (ZnO, ZnSO4, or ZnEDTA) and doses (0, 5, 10, 20, and 30 mg dm-3) applied to the soil to increase the concentration of this mineral in the carrot edible part. Zinc sulfate was the most suitable source for this role because it had a higher accumulation with the increase of treatment dose. The best dose was 19.45 mg dm-3 of ZnSO4, which resulted the highest content of Zn in carrots. Moreover, this treatment increased Zn in the root by seven times compared with the control. The low production cost of Zn enrichment of carrots makes them a potential vegetable for the deficiency reduction of this micronutrient in the population nutrition.