Soil Fertility and Nutrient management (1+1)

Functions and deficiency symptoms of Calcium

Functions and deficiency symptoms of Calcium (Ca)

 
• It is immobile in plants and exists as deposits of calcium oxalate, calcium pectate in the middle lamella of cell wall and CaCO3 and CaPO4 in cell vacuoles. Although calcium is present in plants in relatively higher proportion as compared with other elements, its actual requirement by plants is not much higher than that of a primary nutrient.
  Functions

  1. It is a constituent of the cell wall and promotes early root development.
  2. It is required for cell divisions and chromosome stability, cell wall construction, cell elongation of the shoot and root.
  3. Stabilizing the pectin of the middle lamella in the cell wall by forming calcium pectate. Thus Ca brings resistance against diseases.
  4. Effect on fruit quality and increases in the firmness of the fruit.
  5. Indirectly influences many enzyme systems and maintain cation- anion balance (by acting as a counter ion).

  Deficiency

  • Deficiency is first observed on the young leaves and growing tips (immobile in plants).
  • Leaves become small, distorted, cup shaped, crinkled and malformation of leaves (It resembles boron deficiencies)
  • Terminal buds may deteriorate and die in fruits trees. Root growth is impaired.
  • Destruction of cell well structure results in disturbance of nuclear and cell division.
  • Fruit quality is reduced, loss of fruit fleshy, sometimes rotting of fruits and susceptible to fungal disease.
  • Blossom end rot on a tomato (hyper link)

Calcium deficiency (blossom end rot) on a tomato

Calcium deficiency Death of growing point and die-back of main stem from tip; die-back of leaves, progressing from terminal leaflets and of flower and fruiting trusses.

Calcium deficiency: Dying off of terminal leaflets and flowers; leaves purplish brown tinting.

Ca deficiency in coffee Ca Deficient root Healthy root(coffee)

(Leaves bronzed along edges, cupped downward; new leaves dead; eventual dieback of shoot tips)

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