Zinc and Amino-Acids on the Yield and Nutritional State of Alfalfa Grown in the Tropical Soil

Zinc (Zn) deficiency is common among crops grown in the tropics in acid and weathered soils. In response, the use of amino-acids (AAs) to increase the uptake of this nutrient has been increasing dramatically in recent years. Nevertheless, there is a scarcity of results reported on the effect of applying AAs and adequate quantities of Zn on alfalfa grown under tropical edaphoclimatic conditions. Therefore, a greenhouse experiment was conducted with a completely randomized block in a factorial scheme (4×2) of four Zn rates of 0, 4, 8, and 16 mg kg−1) with and without spraying of AAs during the sprouting phase, to study the effects on the shoot dry weight (SDW) yield, nutritional state, physiological parameters, and soil fertility. The harvests were repeated over time (three cuts). The SDW yield was significantly influenced up to a rate of 4.0 mg kg−1 of Zn, after which it stabilized. Independent of the Zn rate, the application of AAs did not influence the SDW yield. Based on the averages for the three cuts, only the Zn rates altered the photosynthesis and chlorophyll content, with no effect of the AAs. The concentrations of Zn in the soil extracted by the Mehlich 1 and diethylenetraminepenta acetic acid (DTPA)- triethanolamine (TEA) methods were strongly and significantly correlated (r = 0.99, P ≤ 0.05) with the Zn rates and the Zn concentrations in the plant tissue. The agronomic, physiological, and zinc use efficiencies diminished with increased Zn rates, while the inverse occurred with the Zn efficiency index.