Vol. 6, Issue 5 (2017)

Author(s):
JS Kang, Harrajdeep Kaur, Harmeet Singh, Gurbir Singh and Raminder Kaur

Abstract:
Zinc is an essential plant micronutrient and important for production of plant growth hormones and proteins and is also involved in sugar consumption. Root development as well as carbohydrate and chlorophyll formation are also dependent on concentration of zinc in plants. Maintaining adequate zinc levels is important for enabling plants to withstand low air temperatures. Zinc is also involved in the synthesis of auxin, a plant hormone that helps plants determine whether to focus on growing tall or becoming bushy. Ideally, for healthy and productive soil the concentration of zinc should be 1 200 mg/kg. Cereal species greatly differ in their zinc efficiency (ZE), defined in this article as the ability of a plant to grow and yield well under Zn deficiency. ZE has been attributed mainly to the efficiency of acquisition of Zn under conditions of low soil Zn availability rather than to its utilization or (re)-translocation within a plant. A higher Zn acquisition efficiency, further, may be due to either or all of the following: an efficient ionic Zn uptake system, better root architecture, i.e. long and fine roots with architecture favoring exploitation of Zn from larger soil volume, higher synthesis and release of Zn-mobilizing phytosiderophore by the roots and uptake of Zn-phytosiderophore complex. This article attempts to examine critically the scanty and scattered reports available on the status of improving zinc efficiency in plants.