Abstract
Advances in plant nutrition can be achieved by improving the delivery of micronutrients to the plants. The objective of this research was to compare the efficiency of uptake of different sources of zinc, copper and manganese (sulfates, Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) and oxides) and boron (boric anhydride and colemanite). We conducted all experiments in maize, repeated the experiment twice, using five replicates per treatment, and used two different media. Results showed that for cations, the soluble sources of micronutrients (sulfate and EDTA) in both media were more efficiently taken up. One-way ANOVA with post hoc Tukey for multiple comparisons of means (95% confidence level) was used for all statistical analyses. Sulfate sources were significantly different when compared to the negative control and to the oxide sources. EDTA sources were significantly different when compared to the negative control and to the oxide sources. Oxide sources were not significantly different from the negative control. For boron, we found a similar trend, with boric anhydride being significantly different when compared to the negative control and to colemanite. Colemanite was significantly different when compared to the negative control. This study generated important information about uptake of soluble and insoluble sources of four micronutrients that can be used for the development of new formulations.
Highlights
Micronutrient deficiency is one of the most important issues in global crop production
Increases in yield and quality of crops from application of zinc, boron, copper and manganese occur in many parts of the world [1]
Nutrient efficiency uptake can be defined as the amount of a nutrient taken up by a plant and how that compares with the other sources of that same nutrient
Summary
Micronutrient deficiency is one of the most important issues in global crop production. To have a better understanding of how deficient, adequate or excess supply of micronutrients can influence final crop yields, we can use the dose-response graph developed by Brady and Weil as reference [3]. The availability of the essential micronutrients to plants is often poorly correlated with the total quantity of the particular element in the soil. Soil properties such as pH, redox potential, organic matter content, microbial diversity, nutrient interactions, and environmental factors, such as soil water content, temperature and light, greatly influence the micronutrient availability in soil and its consequent uptake by plants [4,5]
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