The Role of Molybdenum in Agricultural Plant Production

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the place occupied by molybdenum (Mo) in the agronomy that services the agriculture on which the world depends for food. The detailed results from a number of disciplines are shown to be integrated into a mature body of knowledge concerning Mo in agricultural practice. In addition, it indicates some of the likely biological effects in the biosphere, and hence, broader applications of scientific effort. Sodium and ammonium molybdates are common Mo fertilizers. The practice of adding solid Mo compounds to another fertilizer as carrier for application to the soil can lead to uneven distribution. The main physiological role of Mo in plants appears to be its participation in two important enzyme systems—namely, nitrogenase, and nitrate reductase, but others may also be involved. Changes in nitrate reductase activity and overall content of Mo are associated with yield responses. Geographically, most of the responses have been reported from lightly acid soils in temperate countries. Many crop plants are consumed by animals, and the Mo status of the plant can affect the animal that eats it. Deficiencies of Mo in livestock have not been reported, but toxicity does occur and is associated with disturbance of copper metabolism.

Molybdenum in Soils, Plants, and Animals

CHAPTER TWO – The Essential Nutrient Elements: Requirements and Interactions in Plants

Summary
Twenty-one L-amino acids and the amides L-glutamine and L-asparagine have been tested for their effects on the growth of excised tomato roots, by adding them singly to a medium of pH 4.8 containing the standard amount of nitrate. L- and D-cystine were growth-stimulatory. The amides, L-aspartic acid and L-arginine, did not significantly affect growth in concentrations up to 25 mg/1. The other amino acids were, to very differing extents, inhibitory to growth. The inhibitory activity of certain amino acids was greater at pH 6.8 than at 4.8. At this pH low concentrations of L-arginine enhanced growth. The L- and D- forms of the amino acids differed in their inhibitory activity.

With the exception of L-glutamine and, to a lesser extent, of L-asparagine and the natural forms of the dicarboxylic amino acids, all the amino acids tested as sole nitrogen sources for root growth were completely ineffective at both pH 4.8 and 6.8. This applied also to the ‘balanced’ mixtures of amino acids which had only low inhibitory activity when added to a nitrate-containing medium.

“Bacto’ casamino acids (an acid-hydrolysed casein) was more effective than ammonium as a nitrogen source over the range pH 4.8 to 7.0, but was only as effective as nitrate at pH values close to neutrality.

At pH values of 5.3 or above, the growth of excised tomato roots on ammonium was markedly stimulated by the addition of amino-acid mixtures whose composition was based upon amino-acid analyses of hydrolysed casein. A mixture of the basic amino acids only was almost as effective as more complex mixtures. At pH 6.8 ammonium plus a suitable amino-acid mixture supported growth equal to that with the casamino acids. The very poor growth of excised tomato roots supplied with ammonium at pH 4.8 was, however, not significantly enhanced by the amino-acid additions which were markedly stimulatory at higher pH values, and was inferior to growth with casamino acids at this pH. A high level of root growth cannot yet be achieved at pH 4.8 in the absence of nitrate.

https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1469-8137.1959.tb05345.x

Studies on the growth of excised roots

The realization that food has a role beyond provision of energy and body forming substances has shifted scientific investigations with growing interest in the research and development of functional foods. A lot of attention is being focused on probiotics due to the enormous support showing health benefits. Probiotics are associated with fermented foods and it is therefore of importance that spontaneously fermented foods, that are so common in Africa, be assessed for their probiotic attributes. These foods are within the economic means of the people and are widely accepted in populations where they are produced. The foods have relatively long shelf-lives under ambient temperatures (without spoiling), are widely accepted especially by the vulnerable groups such as children, expectant/breastfeeding mothers, the aged and are commonly served to the sick and recovering persons. These foods would therefore render an invaluable health benefit to communities when consumed and would impart an invaluable economic benefit to society. Probiotics are associated with lactic acid bacteria that are commonly found in fermented foods. This paper reviews studies that have been carried out to enumerate, isolate, characterize and identify the microorganisms involved in the spontaneous fermentations of cereal based products and their assessments for potential probiotic attributes.

/pdf/probiotic-potential-of-spontaneously-fermented-cereal-based-59inophrge.pdf

Probiotic potential of spontaneously fermented cereal based foods - A review

(1954). Molybdenum as a Plant Nutrient: IV. The Interrelationships of Molybdenum and Nitrate Supply in Chlorophyll and Ascorbic Acid Fractions in Cauliflower Plants Grown in Sand Culture. Journal of Horticultural Science: Vol. 29, No. 4, pp. 291-300.

Molybdenum as a Plant Nutrient: IV. The Interrelationships of Molybdenum and Nitrate Supply in Chlorophyll and Ascorbic Acid Fractions in Cauliflower Plants Grown in Sand Culture

Molybdenum as a Plant Nutrient: V. The Interrelationships of Molybdenum and Nitrate Supply in the Concentration of Sugars, Nitrate and Organic Nitrogen in Cauliflower Plants Grown in Sand Culture

Previous papers have described the effects of molybdenum on the growth (3) and composition (4, 5) of cauliflower plants grown with two levels of nitrate nitrogen. It was found that molybdenum deficiency resulted in decreased contents of chlorophyll, ascorbic acid, sugars and organic nitrogen. This paper describes results obtained with cauliflower plants grown with nitrogen as nitrate, nitrite, ammonium compounds, urea or glutamic acid. The intention was to compare the effects of molybdenum on growth and composition under different conditions of nitrogen nutrition. The results were obtained in two main experiments carried out in 1951 and 1952, of which the first was briefly noted (1), and in other experiments in 1953–54 in which additional confirmation of certain points was obtained.

Molybdenum as a Plant Nutrient: VI. Effects of Molybdenum Supply on the Growth and Composition of Cauliflower Plants Given Different Sources of Nitrogen Supply in Sand Culture

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Molybdenum as a Plant Nutrient: IV. The Interrelationships of Molybdenum and Nitrate Supply in Chlorophyll and Ascorbic Acid Fractions in Cauliflower Plants Grown in Sand Culture

Molybdenum as a Plant Nutrient: V. The Interrelationships of Molybdenum and Nitrate Supply in the Concentration of Sugars, Nitrate and Organic Nitrogen in Cauliflower Plants Grown in Sand Culture

Molybdenum as a Plant Nutrient: VI. Effects of Molybdenum Supply on the Growth and Composition of Cauliflower Plants Given Different Sources of Nitrogen Supply in Sand Culture