Iron

Importance of Iron in plants

• Iron plays a critical role in metabolic processes such as DNA synthesis, respiration, and photosynthesis(it is involved in the manufacture of chlorophyll).
• It plays a significant role in various physiological and biochemical pathways in plants. 
• It serves as a component of many vital enzymes

Iron Deficiency symptoms in plants

Iron deficiency is expressed as an interveinal chlorosis of the new leaves (leaves are yellow with green veins).

Iron deficiency occurs during periods of heavy growth or high plant stress and is characterized by a strong yellowing of the young leaves and the growth shoots between the veins; this occurs because iron is not mobile in the plants thus young leaves cannot draw any iron from old leaves.

Common causes of Iron deficiency

• The root environment contains a lot of zinc and/or manganese.
• The pH in the root environment is too high (pH> 7). Fe3+ is insoluble in neutral and high pH, making iron unavailable to plants in alkaline and calcareous soils.
• The root medium is too wet, causing the oxygen supply in the roots to stagnate.
• An imbalance between the solubility of iron in soil and the demand for iron by the plant.