Zinc (Zn) deficiency affects approximately 50 % of soils around the globe 1,2 . This deficiency results in reduced yield and low Zn II content in rice grains with severe consequences for the health of people with a rice-based diet becoming one of the major nutrient disorders in humans. Zinc deficiency is responsible for numerous illnesses and diseases, affects neurobehavioral development and compromises reproductive health, increases susceptibility to infectious diseases, including the risk of pneumonia in children . The most common soil conditions associated with zinc deficiency include high concentrations of phosphorus (P), sodium (Na) and magnesium (Mg), organic matter content >3 wt%, neutral or alkaline pH, high electrical conductivity (EC), high carbonate content and low redox potential due to prolonged waterlogging. These soil chemical conditions are commonly found in paddy soils . Indeed, rice (Oryza sativa L.) is frequently cultivated in soil with low Zn availability (around 50 % of paddy soils are potentially Zn II deficient ) due to high soil-pH and bicarbonate content, or the result of the formation of insoluble compounds in continuously flooded and therefore highly reduced soils with high organic matter content .