Plants are living organisms and they also require nutrients like us in order to survive, grow, reproduce, and develop. In addition to macronutrients, micronutrients are the other category of nutrients that are called trace elements or minerals required in a very small quantity that help in growth or metabolism. Some important micronutrients include boron (B), iron (Fe), chlorine (Cl), manganese (Mn), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), molybdenum (Mo), and nickel (Ni).

Read the below article to understand micronutrients which play a great role in plants’ growth and development.

List of Micronutrients

Micronutrients
Iron (Fe)
Manganese (Mn)
Boron (B)
Molybdenum (Mo)
Copper (Cu)
Chlorine (Cl)
Zinc (Zn)
Nickel (Ni)
Cobalt (Co)
Sodium (Na)
Silicon (Si)

All the elements are important for plants, some in larger quantities called macronutrients and some in lesser or minute quantities called micronutrients.

Functions of Micronutrients

It is good to know the structure and functions of macro and micro nutrients for gaining information about these in a better way and recognize the role of each of them. Let’s know the functions they perform in the plants for micronutrients:

Role of macro and micronutrient

Micronutrients in Plants and Their Functions

Boron, iron, manganese, and zinc are the most important micronutrients in a plant organism. Let’s find out :

Boron

It is important for:

  • Sugar transport.
  • Amino acid production.
  • Cell wall formation.
  • Crop reproduction.
  • Fruiting.
  • Flowering.
  • Improvement of crop quality.

Boron deficiency in plants can show various symptoms that include stunted growth of young crops, deformation of leaves, death of growing points, dark brown lesions on leaves, poor flowering, and chlorosis or yellowing of leaves. It should be ensured that boron application should be before the flowering stage in crops, applying later is not beneficial.

Iron (Fe)

Iron is important for:

  • Chlorophyll production.
  • Photosynthesis.
  • Enzyme composition.
  • Influences energy transfer, nitrogen reduction, and fixation.
  • Lignin formation.

Deficiency in iron in plants harms younger leaves as it causes yellowing between the veins.

Manganese (Mn)

It is important to plants for:

  • Influences chloroplast production.
  • Actively participating in photosynthetic process.
  • Activation of enzymes and influencing germination plus crop maturity.

Deficiency in Mn also may lead to yellowing of veins in the younger leaves called chlorosis.

Zinc

It is important to plants for:

  • Early growth stages.
  • Development of root, seed, and fruit.
  • In the process of photosynthesis.
  • Balancing plant hormones.
  • Activity of auxins.

Deficiency of Zinc results in stunted growth, length reduction of internodes, smaller young leaves, and yellowing on the lower leaves.

Reference

https://www.vedantu.com/biology/role-of-macronutrients-and-micronutrients