NOVEL METHOD OF MICRONUTRIENT APPLICATION INCREASES RADISH (RAPHANUS SATIVUS) AND SHIRONA (BRASSICA RAPA VAR. PEKINENSIS) BIOMASS

Abstract

The practice of enriching nutrient-poor soils with large quantities of chemical fertilizer has contributed significantly to the boost in agricultural productivity witnessed over the last century. Plants also require minute quantities of micronutrients, such as iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), and zinc (Zn). Inadequate micronutrient concentrations in the soil are a crucial problem for crop production that can severely reduce yield and nutritional quality of crops. Modern agriculture can further promote micronutrient deficiency through excessive irrigation and imbalanced application of chemical fertilizers. Anecdotal evidence suggested that irrigation of crops with FFC H2O, a commercial product currently utilized by the agriculture, fishery, and food industries in Japan, improved crop yields. Our study quantified the biomass of radish and shirona plants watered with FFC H2O. These plants developed larger leaves, greater dry weight, and longer stems than plants watered with deionized H2O. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy revealed the presence of several biologically relevant micronutrients in FFC H2O. Radish plants watered with an FFC H2O solution that lacked micronutrients, or nutrient solutions that lacked either iron or zinc failed to increase plant size relative to controls. These results provide quantitative evidence that FFC H2O operates via micronutrient supplementation, and may alleviate micronutrient deficiencies through the addition of critical elements such as Fe and Zn. FFC H2O offers agriculturalists a simple and effective tool for the fortification of irrigation waters with micronutrients.