Introduction
Zn-oriented nutritional complications, malnutrition
MALNUTRITION
Zinc (Zn) is a vital micronutrient and its deficiency in food crops and malnutrition problem in humans are continuously increasing in developing countries including Pakistan [Although a majority of crop plants are vulnerable to Zn deficiency, rice is more sensitive as compared to other crops [Several options are under experimentation to attain the required Zn levels in grains of staple food crops. Among these, agronomic fortification of cereal grains is a cost-effective and viable option to enhance grain Zn levels and to minimize Zn-oriented nutritional complications, especially in Asian countries including Pakistan that are dependent on staple foods [The BAZU is a synergetic hybrid of urea, Bioactive Zinc (BAZ)Bioactive Zn-coated urea is an emerging novel approach for the grain Zn fortification not tested to compare rice paddy/wheat grain for Zn concentration, Zn recovery, and agronomic efficiencies. Therefore, this study hypothesized whether BAZU can enhance paddy/grain yield, Zn concentration, and recovery in comparison to other Zn sources, primarily, due to long-term enhancements of Zn Phyto-availability. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the most efficient and cost-effective Zn source available to enhance rice-wheat yield and the paddy/grain Zn concentration.