Microbial Inoculants- A Boon to Zinc Deficient Constraints in Plants: A Review

Zinc is an essential micronutrient which plays a macro role in the growth and productivity of the plants. Zinc (Zn) deficiency hinders metabolic and physiological activity in plants due to its inevitable role as an enzyme cofactor. Many Indian soil exhibit Zn deficiency with the content much below the critical level of 1.5ppm. The conditions that make unavailability of zinc to plants are high pH, low organic matter content, high usage of P fertilizer, less textured soil and utilization of synthetic fertilizer to correct Zn deficiency which results in unavailability of zinc after seven days of application. An alternative eco-friendly approach to overcome Zn deficiency constraint in plants is by the application of microbial inoculants as a biofertilizer. Rhizospheric microorganisms play a vital role in the conversion of unavailable form of metal to available form through solubilization mechanism.