ISSN 2320-5407 International Journal of Advanced Research (2016), Volume 4, Issue 4, 1402-1406

Journal homepage: http://www.journalijar.com INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL

Journal DOI: 10.21474/IJAR01 OF ADVANCED RESEARCH

RESEARCH ARTICLE

Micronutrient Research in India: Extent of deficiency, crop responses and future challenges.

Upinder Sharma1*and Pardeep Kumar2.

1. Research Associate, Department of Soil Science, CSK Himachal Pradesh Agricultural University, Palampur,
India.
2. Principal Scientist, Department of Soil Science, CSK Himachal Pradesh Agricultural University, Palampur,
India.

Manuscript Info Abstract

Manuscript History: Green revolution has greatly increased the food crop production in India, but
continuous cultivation of high yielding crop varieties have led to depletion of
Received: 14 February 2016
Final Accepted: 25 March 2016
native micronutrient soil fertility and now most of the soils are showing sign
Published Online: April 2016 of fatigue for sustaining higher crop production to meet the increasing food
demand of the country. In the post-Green Revolution period, deficiencies of
Key words: zinc (Zn) and boron (B) have constrained sustainable growth in productivity
Micronutrient deficiency, crop of several field crops. Among micronutrients, Zn deficiency was found
response, future challenges. widespread in Indian soils. Analysis of soils samples from different states of
India indicated that on an average 44, 33, 15, 13, 8 and 6% of the samples
*Corresponding Author were deficient in available Zn, B, iron (Fe), molybdenum (Mo), copper (Cu)
and manganese (Mn), respectively. Extensive micronutrient deficiencies lead
Upinder Sharma. to decline in factor productivity even with balanced NPK fertilization.
Although the crop response to micronutrients application varies with soil
type, crops and genotype, agro-climatic conditions and severity of
deficiency, an enormous response to micronutrient fertilization has been
reported in a wide variety of crops including horticultural crops across the
country. The results indicated that soil application of 5 to 10 kg Zn ha -1
before sowing is the most suitable method to manage Zn deficiency. The
most effective method to ameliorate Fe deficiency is to apply 3-4 foliar
sprays of 0.5 to 1.0% ferrous sulphate in standing crop at an interval of 10
days. For management of Mn deficiency 3-4 foliar applications of 0.5-1.0%
manganese sulphate are economical than soil application of 40-50 kg Mn
ha-1. Response of crops to B application (0.5-2.5 kg B ha-1) was observed on
boron deficient soils. The soil application of boron is a better method of
fertilization than foliar application or seed soaking.

Copy Right, IJAR, 2016,. All rights reserved.

Introduction:-
In India, origin of micronutrient management research is traced back to a publication by Iyer and associates (1934).
Real impetus on micronutrient research came with report of khaira disease in mid-sixties (Nene, 1966) and
establishment of All India Coordinated Research Scheme on Micronutrients in Soils and Plants in India. Typically,
in the post green revolution period in India, deficiencies of Zn and B have been found to constrain sustainable
growth in productivity of several field crops, where intensive agriculture is practiced. A detailed account of
information on micronutrient in soils and plants has been published by Katyal and Agarwala (1982), Takkar et
al., (1989), Singh (2008) and Shukla and Behera (2012) under the aegis of the All India Coordinated Scheme on
Micronutrients in Soils and Plants of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). Data generated so far show
that the zinc-deficiencies are widespread on coarse-textured, calcareous or alkaline and low organic carbon alluvial
soils (Entisols and Inceptisols) of Indo-Gangetic alluvial plains of North India; fine textured calcareous black soils
(Vertisols) of Deccan Plateau; and highly leached rice growing red and other associated soils (Alfisols, Oxisols and

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Ultisols). Continuous leaching of Mn from the surface layers of the coarse-textured soils under rice-wheat cropping
system has made this nutrient critical for wheat component of the system. Deficiencies of Fe on low organic matter
alkaline soils, Fe and B on calcareous soils, Cu on organic soils, and Mo and B on acid soils have been on the anvil.
Inclusion of Zn and B as fertilizers in cropping systems, identification of the micronutrient deficiency-stress tolerant
varieties and exploitation of the synergistic micronutrient interactions for sustainable crop production have been
major accomplishments during the second half of the 20th century. According to an estimate, the current
micronutrient application to crops may need to be doubled by 2050 to meet the food demand of increasing
population of the country through intensive cropping or cultivation on marginal lands.

Factors affecting availability of micronutrients:-

Soil reaction:-
Soil pH influences solubility, concentration in soil solution, ionic form and mobility of micronutrient in soil and
consequently acquisition of these elements by plants (Fageria et al., 1997). As a rule, the availability of B, Cu, Fe,
Mn and Zn usually decreases and Mo increases as soil pH increases. These nutrients are usually adsorbed onto
sesquioxide soil surfaces.

Effect of clay minerals:-

The trace elements released during the course of weathering may be locked up in the crystal lattices of the clay
minerals and thus become relatively unavailable. Clay minerals bind trace elements with varying degree of forces.
Different binding forces account for variation in the extraction rate of different trace element cations by different
reagents. Trace elements are readily adsorbed by clay minerals but displaced with difficulty. A few trace elements
like B and Mo when displaced by weathering appear as complex anions. Calcium or organic complex may bind
these anions.

Organic matter:-
Organic matter affects the availability of the micronutrients. Organic matter content increases the boron availability
by preventing its leaching loss and bringing about its accumulation in surface soil. Addition of organic matter to
well drained soils have produced varying effects on iron availability. Organic materials such as manure may supply
chelating agents that add in maintaining the solubility of micronutrients. Manganese availability is low in basic soils,
high in organic matter because of the formation of unavailable chelated Mn 2+ compounds. Action of organic matter
on zinc availability is variable. When immobilization and complexation reactions of organic matter prevail,
availability of soil zinc will be adversely affected. On the other hand, formation of soluble chelated compounds of
zinc will enhance availability by shielding the retained zinc from fixation reactions.

Inter-relationship with other nutrients:-

Availability of micronutrients in soil are affected by interaction among micronutrients as well as with other nutrient
elements. Metal cations including Cu2+, Fe2+ and Mn2+ inhibit plant uptake of Zn 2+ possibly because of competition
for the same carrier site. High phosphorus availability induces zinc deficiency. Increased rates of potassium
accentuate boron toxicity at high levels of boron. Application of acidic nitrogenous fertilizer can aggravate copper
deficiencies may be due to increased aluminium levels in soil solution. Excess of nutrients such as Co, Cu, Mn, Mo,
Zn and P encourage iron deficiency. Absorption and translocation of molybdenum was enhanced by application of
phosphorus due to release of adsorbed MoO4, thus making it more available to plants.

Micronutrient Status of Indian Soils:-

Systematic delineation work on massive scale for quantification of the micronutrient deficiencies under the aegis of
the All India Coordinated Research Project on Secondary, Micronutrients and Pollutant Elements in Soils and Plants
[AICRP (MSPE)] using uniform critical levels of deficiency (Katyal and Rattan, 2003) has yielded database which
has been critical in administering micronutrients. Deficiency of micronutrient has become a major constraint to the
productivity, stability and sustainability of crops in many Indian soils and may further deteriorate due to global
warming (Kumar et al., 2011). In order to assess the micronutrients status of soil, a large number of soil and plant
samples were collected and analyzed for micronutrients, viz; Zn, Mn, Fe, Cu, Mo and B under the aegis of All India
Coordinated Research Project of Micro and Secondary Nutrients and Pollutant Elements in Soils and Plants and by
other state agencies. Indian soils are adequate in total micronutrient contents but low in their available levels. The
contents varied widely with respect to soil types, cropping system and management conditions.

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Out of more than 3, 00,000 soil samples collected from various states of the India, 44% tested deficient in Zn having
less than 0.6 ppm DTPA-extractable content. Per cent samples deficient in Fe, Mn and Cu reported are 15, 6 and
8%, respectively (Shukla and Behera, 2012). Similarly, the analysis of 50,000 soil samples showed B and Mo
deficiencies of 33 and 13%, respectively. B deficiency is reported more in acid soils than other parts of the country
due to leaching of available B and continuous depletion of total soil reserved B. Coarse texture, high pH,
calcareousness, diminishing organic carbon and leaching often accentuated the Zn deficiency (Katyal and Rattan,
1993). Irrespective of these soil properties, irrigated crops whose productivity is two to three times higher than
rainfed crops suffered more from Zn deficiency. Across soils and crops, lowland rice is invariably affected by Zn
deficiency. Iron deficiency is most common in upland crops particularly grown on calcareous/ alkaline soils of arid
region. Adoption of rice-wheat cropping system in place of maize-wheat or groundnut-wheat in non-traditional rice
growing areas on highly permeable coarse-textured soils has been responsible for occurrence of Mn deficiency. The
deficiency of Mo is common in acid soils of humid region. Deficiency of Cl and Ni has not been reported so far in
the Indian soils. Now, multi-nutrient deficiencies are emerging in many states of the country. The Zn+Fe in swell-
shrink soils, Zn+Mn or Zn+Fe+Mn in alluvial soils of Indo-Gangatic alluvial plains, Zn+Fe, Zn+B, Zn+Fe+B in
highly calcareous soils of Bihar, Saurashtra, Zn+B in acid leached alfisols, red and lateritic soils of India are leading
to stagnation or a decline in productivity (Shukla and Behera, 2011).

Crop responses to micronutrients application:-

Literature is abound on crop response to micronutrients in India, especially to Zn and B and has been thoroughly
reviewed (Rattan et al., 2008, Singh et al., 2011 and Murthy, 2011). While a good response of crops to Zn is
obtained throughout the country, response to B is more in eastern states of India and response to Mn has strong up
for wheat in recent years in Punjab (Singh et al., 2011). Soil application and foliar sprays are the most commonly
used methods of Zn application. Results from field experiments revealed the superiority of soil application of Zn
over foliar application (Rathore et al., 1995). The lower efficiency of the foliar mode is primarily due to delayed
cure of the deficiency as well as the low concentration of Zn in spray solution.

In a field study carried out at Anand, Gujarat Zn-enriched organics were used for field experimentation in wheat-
maize fodder (F) cropping sequence with wheat as direct crop and maize (F) as a residual crop (Rathod et al.,
2012). The Zn-enriched poultry manure and biogas slurry at Zn 2.5 kg ha-1 improved the average wheat grain yield
by about 68 and 43%, respectively, over control (1.82 t ha -1) whereas the same was higher by 32 and 17% over Zn
application as zinc sulphate equivalent to 2.5 kg ha -1, respectively. Improvement in grain and straw yield of wheat
due to Zn-enriched organics was comparable at both levels of Zn-enrichment i.e.2.5 and 5.0 kg ha-1.

Of the different materials carrying Fe, ferrous sulphate is the most commonly used inorganic carrier for correcting
Fe deficiency in crops. Soil application mode was not so effective and economical as compared to foliar feeding of
Fe. In a field study conducted at Bihar it was observed that three foliar sprays of 1-2% ferrous sulphate solution at
10 days interval prevented Fe chlorosis and significantly increased the crop yield (Sakal, 2001). Application of 1%
ferrous sulphate solution as foliar spray increased the grain yield of rice from 21.2 to 25.8 q ha -1, barley from 41.8 to
42.2 q ha-1, blackgram from 8.8 to 12.4 q ha-1and chickpea from 17.2 to 19.6 q ha-1. Mixing of 0.2% solution of
citric acid in ferrous sulphate solution slightly improved the efficacy of spray as citrate ions help in the mobility of
Fe within the plants. In a field trail on iron deficient soil, a response to 820 kg ha -1 of wheat over control was
attained with 100 kg FeSO4 ha-1 and 1% foliar spray of FeSO4 (3 sprays) at an interval of 10 days, respectively
(Gupta et al., 2007).

Though both soil and foliar application of Mn resulted in a significant increase in grain yield of wheat, but the rates
of soil applied Mn (40-75 kg ha-1) are uneconomical as compared to three foliar srpays of 0.5-1.0% MnSO4. H2O
solution (7.5-15.0 kg Mn ha-1). The slightly lower wheat yield in case of broadcast application of Mn is most likely
related to its rapid conversion to higher oxides due to greater contact of applied Mn to reactive soil constituents
(Sadana et al., 1991). Thus, Mn applied to foliage of wheat is more efficient and economical as compared to its soil
application mainly because foliar applied Mn by passes the immobilizing reactions that occur within the soil.

A variety of boron containing fertilizers has been tested for their efficiency and effectiveness for managing B
deficiency in field and horticultural crops in India. Significant increase in the yield of wheat was reported due to
addition of 20 kg borax ha-1 on silty loam acid soils of North Bengal; as high as 1890 kg ha -1 additional grain yield
was recorded over control (Mitra and Jana, 1991). Among the modes of application, half of the amount of B
applied to soil and the remaining half sprayed on the foliage led to higher response as compared to individual

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applications (either to soil or foliage). Superiority of combining soil and foliar application was ascribed to more
uniform availability of B throughout growing period of crop. In a study laid out on a leaching probe acid soil
(Inceptisol), 20 kg sodium tetraborate per hectare applied directly to soybean proved superior in increasing yield to
two foliar sprays. Not only that, but residual effect of soil application in increasing yield of following wheat also
excelled that obtained with two fresh foliar sprays of boron (Katyal et al., 2004).

Response of Fababean to different levels of boron application (0, 1.0, 2.0 kg B ha -1) was studied in alluvial soils at
Bichpuri, Agra, Uttar Pradesh (Ali et al., 2013). Maximum grain and straw yield were obtained at 1.0 kg B ha -1. The
mean increase in grain and straw yield due to application of 1.0 kg B ha-1 over no boron application was from 4.14
to 4.41 and 4.19 to 4.47 t ha-1, respectively. At higher dose of B (2.0 kg ha-1), a slight reduction in grain and straw
yield was recorded over 1.0 kg B ha-1 level. The increase in yield may be because of photosynthetic activity of the
plant due to B application. Application of 1.0 to 2.0 kg B ha -1 initially gave higher response but indiscriminate use of
B at more than 2.0 kg ha-1 may cause B toxicity in plants and cause deleterious effect of growth and yield of several
crops.

Response of oilseed, pulse and vegetable crops to Mo application were observed in acidic soils of Jharkhand, Orissa
and Karnataka (Sarkar and Singh, 2003). Soil application of 0.6 to 1.5 kg Mo ha -1 as ammonium molybdate to
groundnut, soybean and cauliflower on a red sandy loam soils of Jharkhand was beneficial and gave response of
19.5, 25.8 and 32.5%, respectively. Greengram and soybean responded well to Mo application as seed treatment in
acidic red loam soils of Orissa and yield response was 39.9 and 26%, respectively.

Future Challenges in Micronutrient Research in India:-

• Micronutrient fertilization programmes for nutrients other than Zn and B has not picked up at all. Even in case of
Zn where its inclusion in fertilization schedule for cropping systems is more or less established, some aspects
need to be immediately probed.
• Delineation and reassessment of micronutrient status in soils should strictly be carried out based on geographical
positioning system (GPS) and state-wise and district-wise micronutrient fertility maps should be prepared using
geographical information system (GIS) software especially in uncovered areas.
• Development of integrated micronutrient management technology, using available organic materials, in
important crop sequences is vital for increasing micronutrient use efficiency. Inclusion of inoculation of
vesicular arbuscular mycorrhizal (VAM) fungi in the integrated nutrient supply systems has potential of
mitigating deficiencies on not-so-severely deficient soils.
• Monitoring micronutrient deficiencies in different cropping systems in various agro-ecological regions is
essential for forecasting potential micronutrient problems.
• Case studies have shown that sewage and industrial effluents and sludges have enriched the soils with heavy
metals including micronutrients. Monitoring of both micronutrient and toxic metal concentrations in the edible
parts of crops grown on such soils will have important practical significance from animal and human health
points of view. Wherever possible, integrated packages including application of these wastes as a component of
balanced fertilization should be developed.
• Since importance of micronutrients is increasing beyond soil and plant system and nutritional security of the
people of country is becoming a crucial concern, some systematic studies on micronutrient in soil-plant-animal-
human continuum need to be conducted to find out effect of micronutrients deficiencies in soils, on animal and
human health.
• Micronutrients research on fruits and vegetable crops is scattered and scanty; however, there is ample scope for
micronutrients use in these crops for enhancing quality and yield. Intensive micronutrient research in fruits and
vegetable need to be carried out.

References:-
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alluvial soil. J. Ind. Soc. Soil Sci. 61(3): 202-206.
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18: 106-122.

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5. Katyal, J.C. and Rattan, R.K. (2003). Secondary and micronutrients: research gap and future needs. Fert.
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