Effect of ammonium iron (III) citrate as liquid fertilizer on wheat

Abstract

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L. var. Mahhi) was grown in pots and in field plots to test the effects of ammonium ferric citrate as a fertilizer for plants grown on soils inducing Fe deficiency chlorosis. The soil used in pots was a sandy loam taken from the same plot. Two applications of liquid ammonium ferric citrate fertilizer were applied to the plants at the primary leaf stage and at the tillering stage. The fertilizer was applied as a solution eitherito the soil or,as a foliar spray at 0, 0.25, 0.5, and 0.75 mg Fe kg^‐1 soil or mg L^‐1 solution with a constant level of 100 mg N kg^‐1 soil as NH₄NO₃. Plots and pots were divided into a group treated by soil amendment and into a group with a foliar spray. Control plants received no added Fe. No Fe chlorosis symptoms were found in either Fe treated foliar application or soil amendment. Nitrogen enhanced Fe uptake through root and aerial organ absorption when applied as ammonium ferric citrate solution.

Key words:

• Iron deficiency chlorosis
• Metal absorption