Iron Deficiency (Plant Disorder) Information
Iron (Fe) deficiency is a plant disorder also known as "lime-induced chlorosis". It can be confused with manganese deficiency. A deficiency in the soil is rare but iron can be unavailable for absorption if soil pH is not between about 5 and 6.5.[1] A common problem is when the soil is too alkaline (the pH is above 6.5). Also, iron deficiency can develop if the soil is too waterlogged or has been overfertilised. Elements like calcium, zinc, manganese, phosphorus, or copper can tie up iron if they are present in high amounts.[1]
Iron is needed to produce chlorophyll, hence its deficiency causes chlorosis. For example, iron is used in the active site of glutamyl-tRNA reductase, an enzyme needed for the formation of 5-Aminolevulinic acid which is a precursor of heme and chlorophyll.[2]
Symptoms
Symptoms include leaves turning yellow or brown in the margins between the veins which may remain green, while young leaves may appear to be bleached. Fruit would be of poor quality and quantity. Any plant may be affected, but raspberries and pears are particularly susceptible, as well as most acid-loving plants such as azaleas and camellias.
Treatment
Iron deficiency can be avoided by choosing appropriate soil for the growing conditions (e.g., avoid growing acid loving plants on lime soils), or by adding well-rotted manure or compost.
References
- ^ a b Schuster, James. "Focus on Plant Problems - Chlorosis". University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/focus/chlorosis.html. Retrieved 2008-12-22.
- ^ A. Madan Kumar and Dieter Söll, Antisense HEMA1 RNA Expression Inhibits Heme and Chlorophyll Biosynthesis in Arabidopsis, Plant Physiol, January 2000, Vol. 122, pp. 49-56 http://www.plantphysiol.org/cgi/content/full/122/1/49
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