ASSESSING THE GRAIN QUALITY OF ZNSO4BIOFORTIFIED MAIZE (ZEA MAYS)

The agricultural challenge of present decade includes enhancing of profitability of the farmers through increasing their produce productivity using novel and appropriate green technologies for ensured sustainability and increased productivity of quality enriched cereals. This will help them to be empowered and also address the twin problem of food security and nutritional security especially the problem of hidden hunger. After paddy and wheat, maize is highly popular and extensively grown cereal crop of Begusarai (Bihar) in Indo-Gangetic Plain. Maize is grown in Bihar in almost all districts and in all seasons. It is traditionally grown in the state during 2018-2019. The state produced about 2.42 MT, which is about 12 percent of the total crop production. However keeping in view the rising demand of the crop for food, feed, fodder and fuel, the productivity enhancement, quality enrichment and ensuring sustainability is the agricultural challenges. A scientific and systematic research on bio fortification of maize with different levels of zinc as soil application on a popular variety Dekalb 9081 was carried out and the effect of bio fortification on var ious attributes of grain yield was assessed. The result indicated significant quality improvement in bio fortified maize over the control besides the better crop growth parameters.