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Micronutrients in Plants and Indian Soils

Nearly half of India’s farmland is short of one single nutrient. It isn’t nitrogen. It’s zinc.

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Indian Economy · IndEco0086

Seven elements plants need in tiny doses — and India’s biggest gap

Zinc

Boron

Iron

Manganese

Copper

Molybdenum

Chlorine

~50%

of India’s soils are zinc-deficient — worst in the rice-wheat belt

25 kg/ha ZnSO₄

Soil Health Card’s typical zinc correction dose

10.9 : 4.4 : 1

India’s actual NPK ratio (2024-25), vs. ideal 4:2:1

Why it’s neglected

India’s fertilizer use is badly skewed toward nitrogen. The Soil Health Card Scheme, launched 19 February 2015, tests 12 soil parameters and prescribes exact fixes — but correcting zinc and other micronutrients stays a low priority next to bulk nitrogen use.

📑 Contents

1Must Know
2Good to Know
3Test Yourself
4Great to Know

Must Know

Plants need seven essential micronutrients, in small amounts: zinc, boron, iron, manganese, copper, molybdenum, and chlorine.
They are needed in tiny quantities, but they are still essential. Without them, plants cannot grow normally.
They help activate enzymes, support photosynthesis, and drive nutrient metabolism inside the plant.
Zinc deficiency is India’s most widespread soil micronutrient problem.

Good to Know

Nearly half of India’s soils are zinc-deficient.
The problem is worst in the intensively farmed rice-wheat belt.
Boron deficiency is also widespread, especially in sandy soils.
Iron helps plants make chlorophyll, so a shortage shows up as yellowing leaves.
Molybdenum is needed for nitrogen-fixing enzymes, so its deficiency can weaken a plant’s nitrogen supply too.

Test Yourself

Great to Know

India launched the Soil Health Card Scheme on 19 February 2015 to tackle exactly this problem.
It tests 12 soil parameters per farm, covering both macronutrients and micronutrients.
Each card gives the farmer an exact correction dose. For zinc deficiency, that is typically 25 kg of zinc sulphate per hectare.
This precision matters because India’s fertilizer use has become badly skewed toward one nutrient.
The ideal NPK ratio is close to 4:2:1. By 2024-25, India’s actual ratio had drifted to about 10.9:4.4:1, badly overweighted toward nitrogen.
That imbalance is exactly why micronutrients like zinc keep getting neglected, even though correcting them is often a simple, low-cost fix.

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