ABSTRACT
Micronutrients, also known as trace elements or trace minerals, are those nutrients that are required for the survival of all living beings – crops, livestock, and humans – albeit in small or extremely small quantities. Micronutrients are essential for the synthesis of several enzymes involved in redox processes, and they are crucial for both enzymatic and nonenzymatic activities in plant metabolism. Climatic factors, such as solar radiation, temperature regimes, and precipitation, regulate the storage and availability of nutrients in the soil system. Most of the iron in the crust of the earth is in the form of oxide and silicate molecules. Manganese occurs in nature mainly in silicate minerals, in forms such as rhodonite or as a trace constituent of ferromagnesian silicates. Soil organisms are integral parts of agricultural ecosystems, enhancing crop productivity both directly and indirectly.
