| OCR Text |
Show Manganese Found Essential to the Growth of Plants Recent research work has disposed dis-posed that the element manganese iS essential to plant growth and in iie nutrition of animals, but it must je controlled so that excesses, which ire injurious to growth may not develop. H. J. Snider, assistant chief in soil xperiment fields, University of Illi-jDis Illi-jDis college of agriculture, points jut that as soils become depleted )f their natural fertility, manganese jecomes available in larger quanti ties and may, under these conditions, condi-tions, prove injurious to crops. When soils are treated with limestone, the availability of manganese is greatly reduced and there may be no injurious in-jurious effects on well-limed soils. However, the small amounts that are required must be supplied to prevent improper development. Plant leaves contain relatively large percentages of manganese while grain and seed contain comparatively com-paratively minute quantities. It is conceivable that deficiencies might occur in animals and poultry when a strict grain ration is followed too closely. If they are allowed access to leafy plants, possibilities of manganese man-ganese deficiencies are remote. This extensive research project was made possible by the development develop-ment of improved chemical methods for the study of manganese, Snider says, and the results have brought out the importance of this heretofore hereto-fore little known trace element |
