Iron extraction efficacy of plant borne mugineic acid family phytosiderophores in indian calcareous soils

Abstract An experiment with different chelators involving plant made mugineic acid (MA), deferrioxamine B (FOB) and DTPA along with deionized water as a control was performed to evaluate the Fe extraction ability of the chelators from Indian calcareous soils having high pH, low Fe content, and rich in calcium carbonate. MA manifested the highest Fe extraction efficiency in all the calcareous soils. On the contrary, other chelators displayed rather poor activity of Fe extraction. MA also mobilized Cu, Zn, Mn, Ca, and Mg. However, DTPA solubilized Ca more efficiently than MA. Different calcareous soils also varied with respect to Fe extraction ability. In a green house experiment, Indian barley cultivar (cv) NDB‐209 under calcareous soils, however, exhibited very low Fe solubility in the soil rhizosphere indicating the possibility of simultaneous and periodical release and high Fe(III)‐MAs uptake rate by the plants in quick succession to optimize Fe acquisition efficiency and minimize the microbial decompos...