Micronutrients in Soil, Plant, Animal and Human Health

摘要

The word 'micronutrients' represents some essential nutrients that are required in small quantities for the normal growth and development of plants. These include zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), nickel (Ni), boron (B), molybdenum (Mo) and chlorine (Cl). In India, origin of micronutrient management research is traced back to a publication by Iyer and associates in 1934. Real impetus on micronutrient research came with report of khaira disease in mid-sixties (Nene 1965) and establishment of All India Coordinated Research Scheme on Micronutrients in Soils and Plants in India. The importance of micronutrients has been realized during the past four decades when widespread micronutrient deficiencies, particularly of Zn and B, were observed in most of the soils in our country, where intensive agriculture is practiced. Micronutrients are not only important for better crop productivity, but also essential for sustaining human and animal health. It is important to note that minerals and trace elements, which are essential in human nutrition, are not necessarily the same that are essential in plant nutrition or vice versa (Table 1). Inadequate consumption of any of essential micronutrients results in adverse metabolic disturbances leadingto sickness, poor health, impaired development in animal and human health. Dietary micronutrient deficiencies affect a large part of the global population. The World Health Organization estimates that globally some two billion people are affected by irondeficiency and that some 750 million people suffer from iodine deficiency (WHO 2006). Also zinc deficiency is increasingly recognized as an important public health problem. In this article, we attempted to catalogue and analyze the information, so far generated, critically on micronutrient research in Indian agriculture and also project the researchable issues which need immediate attention.