Document Type

Thesis - Open Access

Award Date

1967

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department / School

Agronomy

Abstract

Zinc is one of the micronutrients required for plant growth. The plant requirement is very small in relation to the macronutrients: nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Even with a small plant requirement zinc deficiency is one of the more common micronutrient deficiencies. Zinc deficiency symptoms have been observed on a number of agricultural crops in many parts of the country including South Dakota. Zinc deficiency symptoms were first observed on corn in the south central part of the state in the late nineteen fifties. Since that time, deficiency symptoms have been observed with increasing frequency over several parts of the state. An extremely large number of deficiency symptoms were observed with increasing frequency over several parts of the state. An extremely large number of deficiency symptoms were observed by the author during the spring of 1965. Corn has been the major crop in South Dakota exhibiting zinc deficiency, however, deficiency symptoms have been observed on soybeans. Zinc deficiency symptoms have appeared on corn grown on soils that were very sandy, low in organic matter, highly calcareous, severely eroded, leveled for irrigation, high in native phosphorus and/or where high rates of phosphorus had been applied. The addition of phosphorus fertilizer has been the major concern in South Dakota relative to zinc deficiency. In 1964 the addition of 23 pounds of P2O5 per acre created a zinc deficiency problem in Tripp County in the south central part of the state. It was assumed that the addition of phosphorus fertilizer rendered the zinc unavailable to the plant. The use of phosphorus fertilizer is rapidly expanding, which may create zinc deficiency problems in other areas. Therefore, a green-house investigation was set up to study the effect of phosphorus and zinc applications to South Dakota soils. The investigation was centered around the alleviation of the difficulty involved in the use of phosphorus fertilizer, and/or possibly suggesting an answer to the P-Zn interaction since there yet remains to be found a satisfactory explanation for the mechanism involved.

Library of Congress Subject Headings

Zinc - Physiological effect
Plants, Effect of zinc on
Plants, Effect of phosphorus on

Format

application/pdf

Publisher

South Dakota State University

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