Micronutrients for Soil and Plant Health

Although micronutrients are needed in much smaller quantities as compared to primary nutrients like N, P, K they are as important as major nutrients. In practice, the micronutrients are not regularly applied to soil in the form of common fertilizers. Their removal from soil has been going on for centuries without any systematic replacement. Several areas of our soil are incapable of supplying plants with sufficient amount of trace elements. With the adoption of intensive cropping and cultivation of high yielding varieties, it is quite possible that deficiencies of micronutrients may occur on a large scale in future. Then one-sided development in fertilizing of soils with only main nutrients, the gradual loss of micro nutrients through weathering and leaching, the decreasing use of organic manures and increasing use of high analysis fertilizers (which are relatively pure and do not contain trace element impurities) is contributing towards accelerating exhaustion of available supply of trace elements. Therefore, without the use of trace elements, it would not be possible to get the maximum benefit from applied NPK fertilizers and cultivation of high yielding varieties. Studies on micronutrients were started in India about six decades back, yet detailed scientific investigations were taken upon in the last three decades. Nevertheless, considerable information is available on different aspects especially, role, functions, distribution in soils and plants, deficiency and toxicity of trace, element and use of trace element fertilizers, but the information is scattered in different publications. This edited volume will enthuse a lot of interest in young scientist for studying various aspects of trace elements in considering this publication most timely, when several million hectares of land in the world are afflicted with trace-element deficiency and require optimum utilization to fulfill the food needs of the millions of people.