😊🔽As promised in this section, we will talk about micronutrients and their role in seed processing.🔽

TerraTimes 🔸In general, micronutrients are very delicate substances: their gross content in the soil does not always guarantee the absence of deficiencies during the vegetation process due to several reasons (suboptimal pH level, ion antagonism, moisture deficiency, low temperatures, etc.).

That is why farmers👨‍🌾 arm themselves with foliar fertilizers before critical stages of crop development to provide the plant with a 1000% necessary complex of nutrients.

🔸The situation is similar with seeds. From the moment of germination until the emergence of the third leaf, the sprouts will consume the reserves of the seed itself and around the seed coat.

Therefore, the first rhizosphere zone of the sprout should contain everything necessary for a successful start and the construction of strong tissues.

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Now let’s take a closer look at the significance of each micronutrient from the perspective of feasibility for seed treatment:

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💠ZINC – without exaggeration, the most important microelement for seeds: improves seed germination and subsequent crop emergence, enhances the immunity of seedlings to diseases, promotes the production of Tryptophan, a precursor to Auxin – a hormone that stimulates more intensive root growth.

💠BORON – everyone knows its importance for pollination processes, but even young seedlings require a small concentration of Boron, as it is responsible for the metabolism of nucleic and indoleacetic acid, carbohydrates, proteins, participates in cell division and creates strong cell walls.

💠MOLYBDENUM – helps non-legume plants utilize nitrates from the soil. In legumes, it performs an additional function: helping nodulating bacteria fix atmospheric nitrogen.

💠MANGANESE – participates in protein and carbohydrate metabolism of young seedlings. Studies have shown that wheat seeds treated with Manganese showed better growth, yield, and even higher Mn content in the grain.

💠IRON – Iron is important for a young seedling because it is responsible for protein metabolism and the synthesis of growth substances.

💠COPPER – a non-critical element for seeds, but a small concentration is necessary to increase the immunity and resistance to stressful factors of the young seedling; plus, to close possible deficits in the grain group in the future.

💠COBALT – more necessary for leguminous crops because it is primarily responsible for nitrogen fixation by nodulating bacteria.

☝ Therefore, each microelement is unique in its own way and its importance may vary depending on the method of application (foliar or seed treatment).

✔ But the main thing is to comprehensively cover all potential deficiencies!

✔ So keep your finger on the pulse of TerraTimes news 🌾 📰🌾 because in the next issue, we will talk about various bioactive compounds and their importance for seeds.