What are the functions of zinc sulfate? Explained clearly in one article
What are the functions of zinc sulfate? What are the common types of zinc sulfate? How is zinc sulfate applied? We also ask knowledgeable readers to help explain. The correct use of zinc sulfate can prevent diseases in fruit tree nurseries, and it is also a commonly used fertilizer for supplementing the trace element zinc in crops; it can be used as a base fertilizer, foliar fertilizer, etc. Therefore, Zhongdiwang has compiled...
What are the functions of zinc sulfate? What are the common types of zinc sulfate? How is zinc sulfate applied? We also ask knowledgeable readers to help explainThe correct use of zinc sulfate can prevent diseases in fruit tree nurseries, and it is also a commonly used fertilizer for supplementing the trace element zinc in crops; it can be used as a base fertilizer, foliar fertilizer, etc. Therefore, Zhongdiwang has compiled the functions of zinc sulfate, the types of zinc sulfate and the methods of use, listed in detail below for readers' reference.
Functions of zinc sulfate:
Function 1: Zinc can promote photosynthesis in crops:
Zinc is the specific activating ion of carbonic anhydrase in plant chloroplasts, and carbonic anhydrase can catalyze the hydration of carbon dioxide in photosynthesis. At the same time, zinc is also an activator of aldolase, and aldolase is one of the key enzymes in the photosynthesis process.
Function 2: Zinc can participate in the synthesis of the auxin indoleacetic acid:
Because zinc can promote the synthesis of tryptophan from indole and serine, and tryptophan is the precursor for auxin synthesis, zinc indirectly affects the formation of auxin. When zinc is deficient, auxin synthesis in the crop decreases, especially with a marked reduction in content in buds and stems; crop growth and development stagnate, leaves become smaller, internodes shorten, and the formation of clustered small leaves is a symptom.
Function 3: Zinc can promote protein synthesis in crops:
Zinc is closely related to protein synthesis; RNA polymerase contains zinc, and it is an enzyme essential for protein synthesis. At the same time, zinc is not only a component of ribonucleoproteins but also a substance necessary for maintaining the structural integrity of ribonucleoproteins.
Function 4: Zinc is an essential component for stabilizing crop cell ribosomes:
Zinc deficiency in crops also reduces ribonucleic acid and ribosomes. In recent years, it has been found that normal ribosomes contain zinc; when zinc is deficient, such cells are extremely unstable, indicating that zinc is an essential component for stabilizing cell ribosomes.
Function 5: The effect of zinc on crop reproductive organs:
Under zinc deficiency, tomato flower buds are oblong-elliptical and the epidermal hairs on the sepals are sparse. As the flower buds grow, anther growth stagnates; the anther length is only about 1/3 that of normal anthers, and the style and ovary are slightly thicker than those of normal plants, but the flower buds cannot open and begin to fall off, and normal pollen grains cannot form in the anthers.
Symptoms of crop zinc deficiency:
When crops are deficient in zinc, growth is inhibited, plants are short, internode growth is severely inhibited, and leaves show interveinal chlorosis or whitening. New leaves show gray-green or yellow-white spots. The symptoms of zinc deficiency in vegetables are shortened internodes, stunted plant growth, leaf chlorosis, some leaves unable to unfold normally, poor root growth, and few or deformed fruits.
Types of zinc sulfate:
Zinc sulfate heptahydrate:Generally colorless orthorhombic crystals, granules or powder-like solid, with a melting point of 100 degrees. Zinc sulfate heptahydrate is easily soluble in water, insoluble in alcohol and acetone, and its aqueous solution is weakly acidic. It easily effloresces in dry air.
Zinc sulfate monohydrate:Generally a white free-flowing powder. Zinc sulfate monohydrate is easily soluble in water, slightly soluble in alcohol, and insoluble in acetone. The aqueous solution of zinc sulfate monohydrate is weakly acidic.
Methods of using zinc sulfate:
1. Use as a base fertilizer:
Zinc sulfate can be used as a base fertilizer for dryland crops such as corn, wheat, cotton, rapeseed, sweet potato, soybean and peanut. Generally, 1~2 kg of zinc sulfate per mu is mixed with 10~15 kg of dry fine soil; after thorough mixing, it is evenly spread on the soil surface and then plowed into the soil, or it can be applied in furrows or holes. For vegetables, 2~4 kg of zinc sulfate per mu is used.
2. Use as foliar spray:
1. Fruit trees: spray a 3%~5% zinc sulfate solution one month before budding in early spring; after budding, the spray concentration should be reduced to 1%~2%, or brush one-year-old branches 1~2 times with a 2%~3% zinc sulfate solution.
2. Vegetables: for foliar spraying, use a 0.05%~0.1% zinc sulfate solution; spraying in the early growth stage of vegetables gives better results, with an interval of 7 days each time, spraying continuously 2~3 times, and spraying 50~75 kg of solution per mu each time.
3. Use for seed soaking:
Prepare zinc sulfate into a 0.02%~0.05% concentration solution, pour the seeds into the solution; generally it is best for the solution to submerge the seeds. For rice seed soaking, use a 0.1% zinc sulfate solution; first soak the rice seeds in clean water for 1 hour, then place them in the zinc sulfate solution. Soak early and middle rice seeds in the solution for 48 hours, and late rice seeds for 24 hours. For corn seeds, soak with a 0.02%~0.05% zinc sulfate solution for 6~8 hours, then remove and sow. For wheat seeds, soak with a 0.05% zinc sulfate solution for 12 hours, then remove and sow.
4. Use for seed dressing:
Use 2~3 g of zinc sulfate per kg of seed, dissolve it in a small amount of water, spray it onto the seeds while stirring, with the amount of water just enough to mix the seeds evenly; after the seeds dry in the shade, they can be sown.
Precautions for using zinc sulfate:
1. Zinc sulfate must not be mixed and applied with phosphorus fertilizers such as superphosphate, triple superphosphate, diammonium phosphate and monopotassium phosphate, alkaline fertilizers, or farmyard manure (such as plant ash), so as to avoid zinc sulfate hydrolyzing into zinc hydroxide and affecting crop absorption.
2. When zinc sulfate is sprayed as a foliar fertilizer, the concentration must not be too high, so as to avoid causing zinc toxicity in crops. To improve the effectiveness of zinc fertilizer, it is best to apply it together with fertilizers such as molybdenum fertilizer or urea.
3. Excessive application of zinc fertilizer to crops can cause zinc toxicity in plants, mainly manifested as inhibited root elongation, leaf yellowing, and then brown spots. Generally, when the zinc content in the plant body is greater than 400 mg/kg, zinc toxicity will occur. When there is too much zinc, plant leaves lose green color and turn yellow, and the stems, petioles and lower leaf epidermis show reddish brown, interfering with the absorption of iron.
What are the advantages of foliar fertilizer
What is the function of potassium fertilizer