Fight Against Hidden Hunger: Boosting Zinc in Potato through Biofortification in Calcareous Soil of Bihar, India

Micronutrients are often overlooked during fertilizer application, which reduces the content of micronutrients in the soil and crops. The concentration of micronutrients in our meals is decreasing considerably, creating several abnormalities in human body and deterioration of human health, although we consume adequate amount of food, we do not get enough nutrients, which is labeled as hidden hunger. To increase the micronutrient concentration in potato crop, particularly, Zinc, this research was conducted in the Rabi season of 2022 at TCA-Dholi, Dr. RPCAU, Pusa, Bihar. Kufri Khyati, a popular variety in Northern Bihar was given ten treatments and replicated four times, in Randomized Block Design (RBD), experimental design. The concentration of Zn in leaves (95.45 ppm), in tubers (31.50 ppm), SPAD meter reading at 45 DAP, 60 DAP and 75 DAP (49.29, 42.04, 37.11, respectively), yield of tubers (25.17 t ha-1), and B:C ratio (2.97) were maximum in treatment T10 (Zn-EDTA @ 4g litre-1 at 25 and 50 DAP).