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| Authors: | O. Dilly, V. Romheld, H. Marschner, Y. Chen |
Abstract:
In the north of Israel on calcareous soils Mango (Mangifera indica L.) but also other fruit trees such as peach show frequently severe chlorosis and stunted leaf growth (‘little leaf’) and “rosetting” combined with malformation of leaves which are typical for Zn deficiency.
Because these symptoms can be cured by different Fe treatments, it has been assumed that Fe deficiency might inhibit in some way acquisition and/or utilization of Zn in young growing leaves and cause subsequently Zn deficiency.
Thus, the aim of this work was to verify the hypothesis of an Fe/Zn interaction in the formation of the nutritional disorder of Mango.
The following results have been obtained: a) The symptoms of ‘little leaf’ was confirmed as Zn deficiency by nutrient solution experiments under controlled conditions with omission of Fe or Zn. b) The observed nutritional disorder in Mango (and presumably also in peach) is Fe deficiency as shown by Fe concentrations below the critical deficiency level and relative high Zn concentrations in leaves and by the results of foliar and soil application of both Fe and Zn separately. c) A temporary physiological Zn deficiency induced by Fe deficiency could not be proved but also not excluded by the used methods.
We conclude that severe Fe deficiency results in inhibition of protein synthesis and growth depression with expression of the atypical symptoms (“little leaf”) as known for Zn deficiency.
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