Zinc Deficiency
Class: Nutritional Disorders
Common Name
Zinc(Zn) deficiency
In Short
Zinc is an important micronutrient needed in small quantities by all plants. Within the plant, it functions as an activator of enzymes and is involved in the producing the growth hormones. A zinc deficiency can result in poor plant growth and development.
Symptoms
The Initial symptoms include interveinal chlorosis on young leaves, which can be similar to those of iron deficiency. In later stages of zinc deficiency, newly emerged leaves will likely to be narrow and remain small. Symptoms that might occur as the severity level increases are shortening of the internodes, necrotic spots, and bronzing of the leaves.
Correction measures
The required level of zinc varies depending on the crop type and the deficit severeness. Two common correction options are: One is adding zinc sulphate (ZnSO4) or zinc oxide (ZnO) to the soil. Though, keep in mind that adding zinc to alkaline (high pH) soils may not solve the problem since zinc will likely remain unavailable to the plant. In such a case, it is known that the chelated form (Zn-EDTA) of zinc has an advantage over the inorganic form of zinc. The second is to spray applications of zinc sulphate or chelate.
Caution and careful notice should be taken when using any plant protection products (insecticides, fungicides and Herbicides). It is the grower’s sole responsibility to keep track after the legal uses and permissions with respect to the laws in their country and destination markets. Always read the Instructions written on the label and in any case of contradiction work with accordance to the product label. Keep in mind that information written on the label usually apply only to local markets. Pests control products intended for organic farming are generally considered to be less effective in comparison to conventional product. One must keep in mind when dealing with organic, biologic, and to some extent a small number of conventional chemical products, that a complete eradication of a pest or a disease will often require several iterations of a specific treatment or combination of treatments.