When it comes to farming, the focus is often on the big things like water, sunlight, and macro-nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. However, the role of micro-nutrients in crop growth and development cannot be underestimated.
Micro-nutrients are essential elements that are required in smaller quantities than macro-nutrients, but are no less important. These include elements like iron, zinc, copper, manganese, and boron, among others. Without these micro-nutrients, plants cannot reach their full potential and can be more susceptible to disease and pest damage.
One common misconception is that micro-nutrients are always present in sufficient quantities in the soil. However, this is not always the case. Soil pH, organic matter content, and other factors can affect the availability of micro-nutrients in the soil, making it important for farmers to monitor and supplement them as needed. Micronutrients are essential nutrients that are needed by plants in small quantities for their growth and development.
To explain the role of micronutrients, let’s take the example of iron. Iron is an essential micronutrient that plays a critical role in plant growth and development. It is necessary for the formation of chlorophyll, which is the pigment that gives plants their green color and is essential for photosynthesis. Without enough iron, plants cannot produce enough chlorophyll, and their growth and development will be stunted.
Similarly, other micronutrients like zinc, copper, and manganese are essential for different plant processes such as enzyme activation and protein synthesis. These processes are critical for the growth, development, and health of the plant
Although micronutrients are needed in small quantities, their importance cannot be ignored. The absence of micronutrients can lead to stunted plant growth, reduced crop yields, and poor crop quality. Therefore, it is important for farmers to monitor the levels of micronutrients in their soil and supplement them as needed to ensure optimal plant growth and development.
It is not always only the bigger things that matter, sometimes it is those seemingly smaller and little things that play bigger and more important roles in holding the supposedly bigger things together and their absence can certainly leave things falling apart. Despite a more pronounced emphasis on and use of macro-nutrients, micro-nutrients cannot be totally disregarded as they are a force to be reckoned with in their own right. Below is a table breaking the importance of some of them
| Micro-nutrients | Functions in plants |
| Zinc | Present in several dehydrogenase, proteinase and peptidase enzymes Promotes growth hormones and starch formation Promotes seed maturation and production Necessary for chlorophyll production Necessary for carbohydrate and starch formation |
| Iron | Important in chlorophyll formation Acts as an oxygen carrier |
| Copper | Present in laccase and several other oxidase enzymes Important in photosynthesis, protein and carbohydrate metabolism and probably nitrogen fixation Improves the flavor of fruits and vegetables Indirect role in chlorophyll production |
| Manganese | Activates decarboxylase, dehydrogenase and oxidase enzymes Important in photosynthesis, nitrogen metabolism and nitrogen assimilation Aids in chlorophyll synthesis |
| Boron | Activates certain dehydrogenase enzymes Facilitates sugar translocation and synthesis of nucleic acids and plant hormones Essential for germination of pollen grains and growth of pollen tubes Essential for seed and cell wall formation Promotes maturity |
| Molybdenum | Present in nitrogenase (nitrogen fixation) and nitrate reductase enzymes Essential for nitrogen fixation and assimilation Play an important role in plant nodulation Needed to convert inorganic phosphates to organic forms in the plant |
| Nickel | Component of nitrogen-fixing hydrogenase bacteria Impart plant disease resistance Component of the plant urease |
By Albert Makendenge