~ 2900 ~  International Journal of Chemical Studies 2019; 7(6): 2900-2906                     P-ISSN: 2349–8528  E-ISSN: 2321–4902 IJCS 2019; 7(6): 2900-2906 © 2019 IJCS Received: 14-09-2019 Accepted: 19-10-2019   Pradeep Rajput Department of Agronomy, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel University of Agriculture & Technology, Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, India Adesh Singh Department of Agronomy, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel University of Agriculture & Technology, Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, India Ravindra Kumar Rajput Department of Soil Science & Agricultural Chemistry, Matter specialist (soil science),KVK Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, India Jyoti Verma Department of Agronomy, Sanskriti University, Chhata, Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, India Corresponding Author: Pradeep Rajput Department of Agronomy, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel University of Agriculture & Technology, Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, India Agronomic bio-fortification in wheat through zinc and iron nutrition: A review Pradeep Rajput, Adesh Singh, Ravindra Kumar Rajput and Jyoti Verma Abstract Increasing Zn and Fe concentration in food crops is an important worldwide challenge due to high incidence of Zn and Fe deficiency in human. Foliar fertilization of micronutrients is one of the most important methods of fertilizer application in agriculture practices in order to increase Zn and Fe concentration in grain because foliar nutrients help easy and quick consumption of nutrients by penetrating the stomata or leaf cuticle and enter the cells. Foliar application of Zn and Fe, either single or along with other micronutrients can help achieve favorable results on growth parameters, yield components and yield quality of wheat crop. It is evident that foliar and soil application of Zn and Fe alone or in association with other micronutrients to wheat grown on Zn and Fe deficient soils enhance plant growth, yield quantity and quality, yield components and grain Zn and Fe concentration. The available literature on biofortification of wheat with Zn and Fe through foliar and soil application of Zn and Fe fertilizers on the growth parameters, yield components yield quantity and quality of wheat are reviewed and presented below. Keywords: Wheat, Zinc, Iron, Biofortification, Yield and Quality. Introduction Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is a crop of global significance. It is grown in diversified environments. Wheat is the staple food crop in temperate countries and increasingly consumed in developing countries, displacing traditional foods. Approximately one-sixth of the total arable land in the world is cultivated with wheat. Whereas paddy is mainly cultivated in Asia, wheat is grown in all the continents of the world. It supplies about 20 per cent of the food calories for the world's growing population. Global wheat production touched 622.2 million tones in 2007-08. India is the second largest producer of wheat after China. Wheat has a distinct place among the food grain crops. Carbohydrate and protein are two main constituents of wheat. On average wheat contains 11-12% protein. They contribute to edible dry matter, and daily calorie intake, up to 28% and 60%, respectively, in developing countries. However, in developing countries, nutrition deficiency is a serious problem associated with poor diet. Food and nutrient intake constitute the basis of life; people are dying en masse due to a lack of sufficient nutrients. This problem resulted in the deaths of about 30 million people in 2003 in developing countries with poor resources. As reported by Graham every second, one person dies of disease related to diet. Moreover, Fe deficiency affects more than two billion individuals or one in three people globally, while about 30% of people in developing countries and 10% of Americans and Canadians are Zn deficient. The World Health Organization estimates that approximately 25% of the world’s population suffers from anemia, and that Fe deficiency anemia led to the loss of over 46,000 disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) in 2010 alone. An estimated 17.3% of people worldwide are at risk of inadequate Zn intake, and Zn deficiency leads to estimated annual deaths of 433,000 children under the age of 5. Recently, it was reported that in the UK, the Zn intake of about a quarter of adolescents is below the lower reference nutrient intake (LRNI) and the Fe intake of over half of all adolescent girls and over a quarter of adult women is below the LRNI. Nutrient-deficient food and diet related problems are the main cause of death on Earth, and this can be prevented by supplying nutrients in a sustainable manner, and finding solutions to malnutrition.