Evaluation of New Corn Hybrids Response to Zinc in Colombia

New tropical corn hybrids have been developed and are in use in tropical Latin America. Zinc deficiency symptoms are commonly observed in these materials but the extent of the deficiency as yield limiting factor has not been evaluated. The balanced nutrition experiments conducted in the region with the new hybrids had only a blanket application of Zn, but Zn was not a study variable. In addition, tropical Latin America has been categorized as a region of high to moderate risk of Zn deficiency in humans. The effect of Zn application on corn grain yield and quality, as well as, Zn accumulation in corn tissue needs to be evaluated.