| Plant and Animal Health |
| |
 In
addition to being an essential nutrient for humans, copper is vital
for the health of animals and plants and plays an important role in
agriculture.
Copper is found in all soils throughout the world. Many of the world's
most important crops, including rice and wheat, citrus, oats, spinach,
and carrots, depend on adequate soil levels of copper in order to
thrive. Copper is also an indispensable treatment for a variety of
plant diseases.
However, copper concentrations in soil are not uniform around the
world. In many areas, soils have insufficient levels of copper.
Soils that are naturally deficient in copper often require copper
supplements before agricultural crops, such as cereals, can be grown.
Copper deficiencies in soil or animal nutrition can lead to crop failure
and livestock disease. Copper deficiency is a major issue in global
food production, resulting in costly losses in yield and reduced quality
of output.
The world's two most important food crops, rice and wheat, are highly
susceptible to copper-deficiency. So are several other important foods,
including citrus, oats, spinach and carrots. Some foods, including
coconuts, soybeans and asparagus, are not particularly sensitive to
copper-deficient soils.
In livestock, cattle and sheep commonly show indications when they
are copper deficient. Swayback, a sheep disease associated with copper
deficiency, imposes enormous costs on farmers worldwide, particularly
in Europe, North America and many tropical countries. For pigs, copper
has been shown to be an outstanding growth promoter.
Nitrogen fertilizers can worsen copper deficiency in agricultural
soils.
The most effective strategy to counter copper deficiency is to supplement
the soil with copper, usually in the form of copper sulfate. Sewage
sludge is also used in many areas to replenish agricultural land with
organics and trace metals, including copper. |
|
