This document discusses the effects of micronutrient application on crop productivity and nutrient use efficiency. It begins with an introduction to micronutrients and factors affecting their availability. It then discusses the effects of various micronutrients like zinc, boron, manganese, and iron on the yield and yield attributes of different crops like wheat, rice, maize, potato, chilli, and tomato based on data from multiple studies. It finds that micronutrient application generally increases crop productivity and concludes that micronutrients are as important as macronutrients for plant growth and profitable crop production.

1. 1

2. Effect of Micronutrient Application on
Crop Productivity and Major Nutrients Use
Efficiency
2
C.S.K.H.P.K.V. Palampur
Munish Sharma
Dept. of Soil Science
College of Agriculture

3. 3
Contents
 Introduction
 Factor affecting nutrient availability
 Role of micronutrients
 Available form of micronutrients
 Adverse effect of micronutrient deficiency
 Effect of micro nutrients on crop productivity
Effect of micronutrient on nutrients use efficiency
Conclusion

4. Introduction
• Micronutrients have been called minor or trace elements
indicating that their concentration in plant tissues are
minor or in trace amounts relative to the macronutrients
(Mortvedt,2000)
• Micronutrients are essential for the normal growth of
plants. Deficiencies of micronutrient drastically affects
the growth, metabolism and reproductive phase of plants
• The essential micronutrients are zinc(Zn),
manganese(Mn), copper(Cu), iron(Fe), boron(B),
molybdenum(Mo) and chlorine(Cl)
• These micronutrients are as important as major nutrients
for plant development and profitable crop production
4

5. Contd….
5
Nutrient deficiencies are not restricted
only to N,P,K but have also extended to Zn,
B, Fe, and S (Singh 1999 ; Swarup and
Ganeshamurthy 1998).
The trend of micronutrient deficiencies is
changing i.e. instead of single nutrient
deficiency, cluster of micronutrient
deficiencies are exhibited. Deficiencies of Zn
and Fe are widespread followed by Mn and B
under Indian conditions

6. 6

7.  Micronutrient deficiencies in crop plants are
widespread due to :
 Intensive cropping practices and adoption of
high yielding cultivars
Enhanced production of crops on marginal
soils
increased use of high analysis fertilizers
Decreased use of animal manures,
composts, and crop residues.
Cultivation on soils that are inherently low in
micronutrients reserves
7

8. Factor affecting micronutrient
availability
• Total content in soil
• Soil texture
• Organic matter content
• Soil pH
• Soil aeration
• Nutrient interaction
8

9. 9
As pH increases zinc, iron, manganese, copper and boron decreases in
availability, while molybdenum increases in availability

10. General Conditions conducive to micronutrient
deficiency/ toxicity
 Leached, Sandy Soils
 Organic Soils
 Intensive Cropping
 Extremes of pH
 Eroded Soils
 Parent Materials
10

11. 11

 Zinc
 Aids plant growth hormones
and enzyme system
Necessary for chlorophyll
production
Necessary for carbohydrate
and starch formation.
Aids in seed formation.
Corn –
for Zn deficiency

12. 12
 COPPER
Catalyses several plant
processes
Major function in
photosynthesis
Increases sugar content
Intensifies colour
Improves flavour of fruits
and vegetables.

13. 13
 Manganese
Function as a part of
certain enzyme systems
Aids in chlorophyll
synthesis
Involved in N metabolism
and assimilation.

14. 14
 BORON
Essential for germination
of pollen grains and growth
of pollen tubes.
Essential for seed and cell
wall formation.
Promotes maturity
Necessary for sugar translocation

15. 15
 Molybdenum
Required to form the
“nitrate reductase” which
reduces nitrate to
ammonium in plant.
Aids in the formation of
legume nodules.
Needed to convert
inorganic phosphates to
organic forms in the plant.

16. 16
CHLORINE
 Activator of enzyme.
Enhances maturity of
small grains
IRON
Promotes formation of
chlorophyll
Acts as a oxygen carrier
Reactions involving cell
division and growth

17. Threshold deficiency level of nutrients in
the Himalayan region
Nutrient Critical level (mg/kg)
Iron 4.5
Manganese 1.0
Copper 0.2
Zinc 0.6
Boron 0.1
Molybdenum 0.1
17

18. 18
Guideline for critical, sufficient and
toxic levels of plant Nutrients
Element
Critical
level
Sufficient
level
Toxicity
level
Fe (mg/ kg) <50 50-250 Non toxic
Zn (mg/ kg) 15-20 20-100 >400
Mn (mg/ kg) 10.0-20.0 20-300 >300
Cu (mg/ kg) 3.0-5.0 5.0-20.0 >20
B (mg/ kg) <10.0 10-100 >100
Mo (mg/ kg) <0.1 0.1-0.5 >0.5
Cl (%) <0.2 0.2-2.0 >2.0

19. 19
• Yield decrease
• Lower crop quality
• Widespread infestation of various
diseases and pests
• Increased bio and non-bio-stresses
• Lower fertilizer use efficiencies

20. Available forms of micronutrients
Element Dominant soil solution forms
Iron Fe2+, Fe(OH)2
+, Fe(OH)2+, Fe3+
Manganese Mn2+
Zinc Zn2+, Zn(OH)+
Copper Cu2+, Cu(OH)+
Molybdenum MoO4
2-, HMoO4
-
Boron H3BO3, H2BO3
-
Cobalt Co2+
Chlorine Cl-
Nickel Ni2+, Ni3+
20

21. Crop response to micronutrients on
mineral soils
Crop Boron Copper Iron Manganese Zinc
Wheat Low Medium Medium Medium Medium
Rice Low Medium Medium Medium High
Soybeans Medium Low Low High Medium
Barley Low Medium Low Medium Medium
Potatoes Low Low Low High Low
Cabbage High Medium Low Medium Medium
21

22. 22
Effect of micronutrient application on
crop productivity

23. Effect of potassium and zinc on wheat
yield (g/pot)
K Levels (mg/kg) Levels of zinc (mg/kg)
0 2.5 5.0 10.0
0 4.5 4.8 5.0 4.0
30 4.9 5.1 5.3 4.4
60 5.5 5.5 4.8 4.5
120 5.2 5.4 5.5 4.6
CD (P=0.05) K or Zn 0.07
23
Singh et al. (1993)
Location: Bichpuri, Agra (U.P.)
Sandy loam soil, pH =8.1

24. Effect of Boron and Manganese on grain
yield of wheat( g/pot)
Mn levels
(mg/kg)
B levels( mg/kg)
0.0 0.5 1.0 2.0
0.0 5.00 5.80 6.60 4.00
2.5 5.90 6.80 7.40 4.80
5.0 6.26 7.00 7.60 5.12
10.0 6.20 6.80 7.20 4.70
CD (P=0.05) 0.18
24
Location: Bichpuri, Agra (U.P.) Singh et al.(2000)
Sandy loam soil, pH =8.3

25. Effect of Mo and B on yield of wheat
Treatments Yield ( g /pot )
Grain Straw
Boron levels mg kg-1
0.0 3.2 3.9
0.5 3.8 4.5
1.0 3.5 4.4
2.0 3.1 3.6
CD( P= 0.05) 0.35 0.36
Mo levels mg kg-1
0.0 3.2 3.7
0.5 3.3 4.0
1.0 4.0 4.8
2.0 3.1 3.9
CD ( P=0.05) 0.35 0.36
25
Singh et al.(1992)
Location : Bichpuri, Agra
Sandy loam soil, pH =8.3

26. Effect of foliar application of micronutrients
on wheat yield
Treatments Plant
height
(cm)
No. of
spikes/m2
No. of
spikelet/
spike
No. of
grains/
spike
Grain yield
( kg/ha)
Control 99.7 368.0 19.9 57.8 6267.85
Cu 500ppm 108.6 425.3 21.1 64.3 7039.28
Mn 500 110.3 436.4 21.5 65.2 7167.85
Fe 500 108.5 423.1 21.3 64.7 7071.42
Zn 500ppm 112.1 445.7 21.7 66.1 7342.8
Mixture 116.1 468.9 22.1 69.8 7517.85
CD 5% 0.9 7.8 0.2 0.5 S
26
Seadh et al.(2009)
Location: Tag Al-Ezz (Egypt)
Clay loam, pH= 7.6-7.8

27. Effect of zinc application on yield and yield
attributes of rice
Zinc
(Kg/ha)
Plant
height
( cm)
No. of
panicle /
sq.m
Days to
maturity
Yield
( t/ha)
0 95.8 299.7 130.5 5.47
15 92.4 334.8 128.3 5.96
30 94.4 338.7 127.3 5.75
45 93.9 342.8 124.8 5.76
CD 5% NS NS NS NS
Yakan et al. 1999 27
Location: Edirne province(Turkey)
Texture : clay loam, pH =7.7

28. Effect of zinc on grain and stover
yield of maize
Zn levels
( kg/ha)
Grain yield
(q/ha)
Stover yield
(q/ha)
0 25.04 63.86
2.5 27.35 69.01
5 29.70 74.83
10 29.00 71.82
CD (P=0.05) 1.25 3.06
28
Location : Kanpur (U.P.) Dwivedi et al.(2002)
Sandy loam, pH =7.7-7.8

29. Effect of zinc and manganese on tuber yield of
potato
Treatments No. of
tuber/ plant
Mean tuber weight
(g)
Tuber yield
(kg/ha)
Zn levels (ppm)
0 9.47b 70.52b 27340c
2 10.48a 70.82b 29390b
4 10.95a 72.38b 32500a
8 10.99a 75.59a 34170a
CD (P =0.01) ** ** **
Mn levels (ppm)
0 10.20b 69.80b 29360c
2 10.46ab 72.97a 31350b
4 11.22a 73.48a 33866a
8 9.96b 70.70ab 28380c
CD(P=0.01) ** ** **
Mousavi et al. (2007) 29
Location :Lorestan (Iran)
Clay loam soil, pH 7.8

30. Zinc and Iron fertilization effect on growth
and yield of potato
Treatments Plant
height
( cm)
No. of
shoots/
plant
No. of
leaves /
plant
No. of
tubers /
plant
Weight/
tuber
Total tuber
yield (q/ha )
Zinc kg ha-1
10 31.71 3.61 25.23 3.35 86.43 193.3
15 28.42 3.32 23.74 2.80 90.32 166.6
20 29.63 3.49 24.63 3.03 90.52 177.3
25 32.8 3.92 27.37 3.24 95.62 202.6
CD at 5% NS 0.33 NS 0.21 5.4 18.3
Fe level: 5 30.11 3.37 26.1 3.11 86.04 187.2
10 27.62 3.18 24.3 2.99 89.97 178.3
15 28.93 3.2 24.8 3.01 96.14 190.0
CD at 5% NS NS NS NS NS 10.3
Bhat and Jandial (1996) 30
Location : Ponichak, Jammu
Sandy loam soil, pH =6.4-6.5

31. Effect of micronutrients on yield and yield
attributes of chilli
Treatments Plant
ht.
( cm)
No. of
branches/
plant
No. of
fruits /
plant
Yield q/ha
( red ripe)
Control 60.52 7.46 157.45 18.88
Zn 0.1% 65.54 9.12 174.18 23.38
Fe 0.1% 62.28 8.64 164.84 19.90
B 0.1% 63.64 8.96 169.14 20.49
Zn 0.1% +Fe 0.1% 67.58 9.44 177.26 25.08
Zn 0.1%+ B 0.1% 68.24 10.94 181.52 26.04
Fe 0.1% + B 0.1% 63.92 9.02 172.66 22.32
Zn 0.1% + Fe 0.1% + B
70.36 11.12 184.12 28.82
0.1%
CD at 5% 3.74 2.29 5.31 2.38
Location : Nagpur Hatwar et al., 2003
31

32. Response of boron and calcium on plant growth, fruit and
seed production of tomato
Treatment Plant
height (cm)
No. of
branches/
plant
No. of
fruits/
plant
Fruit
yield q/ha
Seed
yield/ ha
Boron level (kg borax/ha)
10 166.6 7.7 18.9 635.7 176.5
20 189.2 9.2 23.1 762.7 246.2
30 177.3 8.1 20.2 657.7 203.4
CD at 5% 9.0 0.5 0.9 37.6 13.7
Ca level (Kg calcium carbonate /ha)
10 186.5 8.8 23.8 783.4 243.7
20 176.2 8.4 19.9 665.4 199.6
30 170.3 7.8 18.6 607.3 182.9
CD at 5 % 9.0 0.5 0.9 37.6 13.7
Sharma (1995) 32
Location :Kandaghat, Solan
Sandy loam soil

33. Effect of Zinc, Boron and Iron on plant growth
and yield of brinjal
Treatments Plant ht. at
harvest
(cm)
No. of
fruits/plant
Fruit
yield/plant
(kg)
Fruit yield
(t/ha)
Control 80.07 14.43 0.99 15.80
ZnSO4 (0.2%) 83.70 17.18 1.40 21.52
FeSO4 (0.5%) 82.37 15.02 1.22 19.48
Borax
(0.2%)
80.75 14.73 1.02 16.65
CD (P=0.05) 2.41 0.92 0.06 1.43
Kiran et al.(2010) 33
Location :Saidapur (Dharwad)

34. Effect of S and Mo on cauliflower
yield (t/ha)
Mo levels
( g ha-1 )
S levels ( kg ha-1 )
0 20 40
0 29.2 39.0 44.7
80 35.4 40.7 44.9
160 30.4 43.1 48.8
CD (P= 0.05) S=6.9 , Mo= NS
Jaggi and Dixit (1995) 34
Location : Sadarpur (kangra) HP
Silty clay loam, pH 6.5

35. Effect of zinc on yield of cauliflower
Zinc concentration
( %)
Curd Yield (q/ha )
0.0 ( control) 132.79
0.3 134.04
0.6 137.53
0.9 152.91
1.2 158.38
1.5 147.43
CD at 5 % 2.58
35
Location : Faizabad (U.P.) Singh et al. (1991)
Sandy loam soil, pH 8.4

36. Effect of nickel on yield of chickpea, lentil
and mustard
Treatment
mg Ni / kg soil
Grain Yield (g/pot)
Chickpea Lentil Mustard
0 7.3 4.2 3.1
2.5 7.3 4.2 3.2
5.0 6.9 3.6 3.3
7.5 6.0 3.4 3.1
10.0 5.2 3.1 3.0
20.0 4.3 2.3 2.5
CD (P=0.05) 0.93 0.45 0.32
36
Location :Hisar (Haryana) Gupta et al. (1996)
Loamy sand soil.pH =8.0

37. Effect of zinc application on yield attributes
and yield of mustard
Zn levels (kg
Zn/ha)
Yield attributes Yield (q/ha)
No. of
siliquae/ plant
No. of seeds/
siliqua
Seed yield Total dry
matter yield
0 242.65 11.65 15.95 65.52
1.25 246.30 12.10 16.96 69.77
2.50 246.15 12.40 17.65 69.93
5.00 248.58 12.35 17.85 71.15
7.50 303.70 14.58 17.95 69.69
10.00 246.25 12.10 17.49 68.18
CD (P=0.05) 30.71 0.23 0.87 NS
37
Khan et al.(2003)
Location :Badaun Distt (U.P.)
Loamy sand soil, pH 7.9

38. Table 16: Effect of boron application on
groundnut yield
B levels
(kg/ha)
Yield (q/ha )
Pod Straw
0 11.4 23.9
1.5 13.2 35.3
3.0 15.3 41.9
4.5 11.9 33.7
38
Kumar et al.(1996)
Location : Ranchi, Bihar
Acid soil

39. Effect of molybdenum on oil content and
yield of groundnut
Treatments Oil content Pod yield
(g/ha)
Control 47.88 14.09
Mo @2g/ kg
seed
49.40 17.46
Mo @4g/ kg
seed
50.09 18.62
CD ( P=0.05) 0.30 4.37
Behera et al.(2011) 39

40. Effect of micronutrients on
nutrient use efficiency
40

41. Effect of K and Zn on uptake of K by wheat
( mg/pot)
K Levels (mg/kg) Levels of zinc (mg/kg)
0 2.5 5.0 10.0
0 22.5 23.5 22.0 16.8
30 26.5 27.5 26.5 19.4
60 31.0 31.4 30.7 22.5
120 32.7 33.0 30.8 24.4
CD (P=0.05) K or Zn =1.14
Potassium use efficiency(%)
30 79.33 62 62.33 45.66
60 82 70.16 65.16 43.33
120 43 38.41 33.41 30.08
41
Singh and Kumar (1993)
Location: Bichpuri, Agra (U.P.)
Sandy loam soil, pH =8.1

42. Effect of ZnSO4 application on yield and
Nitrogen use efficiency by wheat
Treatment Yield (q /ha) Total N
uptake
(kg/ha)
Nitrogen
use
Efficiency
(%)
Grain Straw
Control 43.3 48.7 68.8 _
12.5 kg ZnSO4ha-1 (soil) 47.7 55.0 91.2 22.4
25 kg ZnSO4ha-1 (soil) 49.5 56.7 125.2 56.4
CD (P=0.05) 1.2 1.2 6.9
Khandkar et al. (1992) 42
Location : Mandsaur (M.P.)
Clay texture soil , pH =8.1

43. Influence of copper on phosphorus and
potassium uptake by rice
Copper(mg/kg) P uptake(g/kg) K uptake(g/kg)
0 3.03 34.67
2 3.17 35.33
4 3.10 38.33
8 3.27 33.33
16 2.77 37.67
32 2.93 36.67
64 2.93 37.67
96 1.63 26.67
Frageria (2002) 43
Location : Brazil
Soil pH=5.3

44. Effect of nitrogen and manganese on N uptake
by wheat (mg/g)
Levels of N (ppm) Levels of Mn (ppm)
0 5 10 20
0 20.6 20.2 24.3 26.5
30 21.6 23.4 25.6 27.0
60 22.5 24.0 24.8 27.7
90 23.5 25.0 27.4 28.9
CD (5%) N or Mn 0.007
Singh (1990) 44
Location : Bichpuri ( U.P.)
Sandy loam soil , pH 8.6

45. Effect of Zinc and Iron on K uptake
by wheat
Treatments
(kg/ha)
Grain yield
(kg/ha)
K uptake
(kg/ha)
Zinc 0 3157 8.38
25 3510 9.89
50 3664 10.60
CD @ 5% 216 0.90
Iron 0 3377 8.38
50 3511 9.89
CD @ 5% NS NS
45
Polara et al. (2008)
Location : Junagadh( Gujarat)
Calcareous soil , pH= 7.8

46. Table 23: Effect of sulphur and zinc on S
uptake by maize
Treatments S uptake by grain S uptake by straw
S levels (kg/ha)
0 4.17 1.96
15 5.17 2.61
30 5.92 3.27
45 5.84 3.33
Zn levels ( kg/ha)
0 4.48 1.96
2.5 5.17 2.77
5 5.85 3.36
10 5.63 3.06
CD (P=0.05) S or Zn
0.120 0.115
S or Zn
0.017 0.02
Singh et al. (2006) 46 Location : Jharkhand
Acidic soil , pH =5.9-6.2

47. Effect of zinc on nutrient N ,P and K in maize
Treatments Uptake (kg/ha)
N K P
Zn(kg/ha)
15 56.04 15.67 14.88
30 61.44 18.67 18.42
CD (P=0.05) 2.67 1.06 1.04
47
Arya and Singh 2000
Location : IARI, New Delhi.
Sandy loam soil, pH =7.5

48. Effect of Zinc on uptake of potassium
by cotton
Zinc ( kg/ha) K uptake (kg/ha)
Seed
cotton
Stalk Total
0 22.35 17.59 39.93
25 23.89 19.27 43.16
50 24.49 19.51 43.98
CD @ 5% 1.43 NS 2.42
48
Polara et al. (2008)
Location : Saurashtra region (Gujarat)
Calcareous soil

49. Effect of sulphur and boron on sulphur uptake
(kg/ha) by soybean
S Levels ( kg/ha) Boron levels( kg/ha)
0 0.5 1.0 2.0
0 8.80 9.78 11.03 11.45
20 11.55 12.73 14.73 15.00
40 13.90 16.00 18.00 18.10
60 15.08 16.75 18.18 16.88
CD (P= 0.05) S= 0.95 , B = 0.95
49
Sulphur use efficiency (%)
20 13.75 14.75 18.5 17.75
40 12.75 8.17 17.42 16.62
60 10.46 11.61 11.91 9.05
Singh et al. (2006)
Location :Darisai (Jharkhand)
Coarse texture soil, Acidic soil.
pH= 5.9-6.2

50. Effect of molybdenum on uptake of N and
P by Green Gram
Mo ( kg/ha) Uptake by seed ( kg/ha)
N P
0 34.3 4.52
0.5 40.1 5.24
1.0 42.0 5.59
CV % 9.62 8.65
50
Location :Sardarkrushinagar Patel et al. (2008)
Soil: loamy sand in texture

51. 51
Conclusion
Micronutrients in crop production are important, and they
deserve equal attention similar to that of macronutrients.
Micronutrient deficiency drastically affect the growth and
inhibits different metabolic and enzymatic activities.
Application of micronutrients significantly increases the
yield of cereal, vegetables, oilseed and pulse crops.
Micronutrient application also enhances the uptake of
nutrients like N,P,K and S.

52. 52
Thanks