Effects of Iron on Crops and Availability of Iron in Soil: A Review

Author: Porkodi G., Ramamoorthi P. and David Israel Mansingh M.

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Abstract

Iron (Fe) is the fourth most common element in soil. Among the micronutrients, Fe was the first micronutrient identified as essential for plant growth. In the metabolic processes of plants, Fe is necessary for a number of respiratory enzymes and metabolic activities related to photosynthesis. Legumes use iron extensively for nodule formation to fix atmospheric nitrogen. Green plant tissue contains between 50 and 100 mg of iron per kg of dry weight. Fe is therefore one of the most prominent micronutrients in plants. Although iron is the fourth most abundant element in soil, plant deficiency is the most common. In early, emerging leaves, iron-deficiency chlorosis (IDC) develops as interveinal to complete chlorosis; in the worst case, this can lead to crop damage and yield losses. There is a yield loss of between 16 and 32% due to Fe deficiency. An iron content of more than 7.5 mg kg-1 in soil samples is considered sufficient. Diethylene Triamine Penta Acetate (DTPA) extractable zinc, iron, copper, and manganese are presently deficient in 48.1%, 11.2%, 7%, and 5.1% of Indian soils, respectively. In India, the states of Karnataka (35%), H.P. (27%), Maharashtra (24%), Haryana (20%), Tamil Nadu (17%), and Punjab (14%) are the most deficient in Fe. The addition of iron enriched manures improves the availability of nutrients due to stable organo-metallic/iron complexes formed with organic matter during the enrichment process, which prevents the nutrients from fixing and makes them available to the plant root system during crop growth.

Keywords

Iron (Fe), Iron deficiency chlorosis (IDC), pH, Available Fe, Toral Fe, Fe uptake

Conclusion

Iron is one of the most essential for plant growth. This element is abundantly present in the soil. It required for enzyme activities in plant viz., cytochromes, peroxidase, and catalase, phytoferritin and ferredoxin. Iron deficiency is commonly occurred in calcareous soils. It is the one of the major problems in groundnut crop, because groundnut is highly susceptible to iron deficiency which affects economic yield. In recent years, the productivity of crops getting reduced due to inadequate soil fertility along with imbalanced fertilizer management. To overcome these problem, good management practices and integrated fertilizer management with right kind of nutrients at right time by adapting right method of application has significantly increased availability of iron thereby increasing crop yield.

References

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How to cite this article

Porkodi G., Ramamoorthi P. and David Israel Mansingh M. (2023). Effects of Iron on Crops and Availability of Iron in Soil: A Review. Biological Forum – An International Journal, 15(6): 71-78.