Effect of foliar application of different zinc sources on some phytochemical characteristics of Cape gooseberry (Physalis peruviana L.) fruits

Zinc is an essential micronutrient element and has a number of vital roles in plants. In the recent years zinc nano-fertilizers have received considerable attention due to their increased uptake by plants as they are small in size and have high rate of penetration through plant cell membrane. Cape gooseberry (Physalis peruviana L.) is a perennial herbaceous plant belonging to the Solanaceae family that its fruits have a high nutritional value due to the presence of phenolic compounds, vitamins, carotenoids, minerals and antioxidant properties. To study the effect of foliar application of different zinc fertilizers on some phytochemical characteristics of Cape gooseberry, a pot experiment was conducted as a randomized complete design with four replications. The treatments were three different zinc sources (zinc sulphate, zinc chelate and nano zinc chelate) in three concentrations (۱, ۲ and ۳ g/l) and control (without fertilizer application). The results showed that foliar application of zinc had significant effect on evaluated parameters. Fruit weight, total phenolic and flavonoid content, antioxidant activity (by DPPH method), vitamin C and lycopene content in fruits increased with zinc application. The highest amount of measured traits was observed at a concentration of ۲ g/l nano zinc chelate. Overall, the findings of this study showed that the effect of nano zinc chelate application (especially at a concentration ۲ g/l) was more effective than zinc sulphate and zinc chelate in increasing yield and phytochemical characteristics of Cape gooseberry fruits.