Toxicity of Micronutrients

The requirement of micronutrients is always in low amounts, while their moderate decrease causes deficiency symptoms and moderate increase causes toxicity. In other words, there is a narrow range of concentration at which the elements are optimum.

Any mineral ion concentration in tissues that reduces the dry weight of tissues by about 10 per cent is considered toxic. Such critical concentrations vary widely among different micronutrients. The toxicity symptoms are difficult to identify, levels of toxicity for any element also vary for different plants. Many times, an excess of an element may inhibit the uptake of another element.

For example, the prominent symptom of manganese toxicity is the appearance of brown spots surrounded by chlorotic veins. It is important to know that manganese competes with iron and magnesium for uptake and with magnesium for binding with enzymes. Manganese also inhibits calcium translocation in shoot apex. Therefore, an excess of manganese may, in fact, induce deficiencies of iron, magnesium, and calcium. Thus, what appears as symptoms of manganese toxicity may actually be the deficiency symptoms of iron, magnesium, and calcium.