ZINC DEFICIENCY IN WORLD CROPS: Major areas of reported problems



Recent estimates by the World Health Organization indicate that zinc deficiency affects two billion people and contributes to 800,000 deaths per year.

Every living thing on earth shares a need for water and adequate nutrition. Among the most important nutrients for both humans and plants is zinc, an essential mineral naturally present in some foods or available as a dietary supplement. Recent estimates by the World Health Organization indicate that zinc deficiency affects two billion people and contributes to 800,000 deaths per year. Deaths are concentrated in areas where the soil and crops are also deficient in zinc. Zinc deficiency in plants results in poor metabolism and a suppressed resistance to certain pathogens. Farmers experience a decrease in crop yields of up to 40 percent, and most devastatingly, the plants cannot pass zinc onto the population through diet.

Mosaic collaborates with plant breeders, agronomists, nutritionists and farmers to improve the zinc nutritional status of cereal crops through agronomic biofortification, a process that increases micronutrient levels in crops. Mosaic also developed MicroEssentials SZ, a custom fertilizer rich in sulfur and zinc that increases yields and grain nutritional quality. This premium product has the potential to reduce the effects of zinc deficiency and improve the health and well-being of entire populations.

ADVANTAGES OF MICROESSENTIALS:
  • Uniform zinc supply - because zinc is incorporated into every MicroEssentials SZ granule, it is uniformly distributed and readily available to each plant. Roots come in contact with 12 times more zinc contact points than when applied in a typical blend.
  • Improves phosphorus uptake, balances soil pH, provides season-long sulfur availability and nitrogen kick-starts young plants.