What is zinc sulfate?
Zinc is a vital element for the plant, albeit in small size. This metal causes physiological activities in plants which have a significant impact on the processes of glucose formation, photosynthesis, protein synthesis, fertility, growth, and resistance to disease in the plants. If the plant is subject to zinc deficiency, these physiological activities are not performed well, hence significantly decreasing the plant health and fertility and leading to a decrease in the quality of the product and its decline.
Zinc plays a catalytic role in most of the plant enzymes. The presence of zinc is significantly determinative in plant metabolism due to the effect on the activity of hydrogenase and carbonic anhydrase enzymes, stabilization of ribosome structures, and the cytochrome synthesis. In general, plant enzymes activated by zinc are involved in maintaining the integrity of the cell membrane structure, protein synthesis, glucose metabolism, regulation of the auxin hormone synthesis, and the formation of pollen.
The regulation of gene expression in plants can significantly strengthen the plant against stress, and the presence of zinc contributes directly to the regulation of gene expression.
Zinc also plays a significant role in the structure of many enzymes associated with plant metabolism. The amount of RNA and ribosomes in the cells decreases significantly due to zinc deficiency. The presence of zinc is essential for the formation of the amino acid tryptophan involved in the production of auxin. If the plant suffers from IAA auxin deficiency due to zinc deficiency, this will lead to a lack of cell wall growth and thus reduced water absorption in the plant. In this way, it can be claimed that zinc regulates the absorption and transfer of water by the plant, in addition to regulating the destructive rates of short-term stresses and heat to some extent. Another role of zinc can be maintaining the structural position of the macromolecules inside the membrane and maintaining the integrity of the cell membranes, as well as the effective role in transfer systems.
Zinc sulfate reduces the impacts of boron abuse in soils with an excess of boron content.
