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Calcium as a Plant Nutrient

Article  in  International Journal of Bio-resource and Stress Management · October 2020

DOI: 10.23910/1.2020.2075a

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 Article AR2075a DOI: HTTPS://DOI.ORG/10.23910/1.2020.2075a
International Journal of Bio-resource and Stress Management
Print ISSN 0976-3988
Volume 11 II Issue 5 II Oct 2020
October 2020 Online ISSN 0976-4038

IJBSM 2020, 11(5):i-iii

Ed itor i a l

Calcium as a Plant Nutrient

Rajendra Prasad and Yashbir Singh Shivay*

Division of Agronomy, ICAR–Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi (110 012), India

Abstract
Open Access
Corresponding Author Calcium (Ca) is an essential plant nutrient responsible for the integrity of cells
and plant structure, yet it is generally neglected, because it is available in plenty
Yashbir Singh Shivay in most cultivated soils. It is therefore not applied as a fertilizer to crops except in
e-mail: [email protected] groundnut. In acid soils, where it is limiting, it is applied in large amounts as a soil
Citation: Prasad and Shivay, 2020. Calcium as a Plant amendment as lime. In sodic soil, where excess of Na creates problems in crop
Nutrient. International Journal of Bio-resource and production Ca is applied as gypsum, another soil amendment. When applied in
Stress Management 2020, 11(5), i-iii. HTTPS://DOI. large amounts as lime or gypsum, Ca nutrition is already taken care of and thus
ORG/10.23910/1.2020.2075a there is no need of annual application as a fertilizer. Nevertheless its importance
as a plant nutrient cannot be ignored.
Copyright: © 2020 Prasad and Shivay. This is an
open access article that permits unrestricted use,
distribution and reproduction in any medium after Keywords: Acid soils, gypsum, groundnut, lime, plastering, soil
the author(s) and source are credited. amendments

Data Availability Statement: Legal restrictions are

imposed on the public sharing of raw data. However, 1. Introduction
authors have full right to transfer or share the data in Among the essential plant nutrients Calcium (Ca) is third in abundance
raw form upon request subject to either meeting the
after N and K and is very close to P in abundance in plant tissue. The
conditions of the original consents and the original
research study. Further, access of data needs to meet highest amounts of Ca are found in mitochondria. It is involved in cell
whether the user complies with the ethical and legal division and cell elongation (Helper, 1994). It is a messenger in several
obligations as data controllers to allow for secondary developmental and environmental changes (Heintz, 1960; Sanders et al.,
use of the data outside of the original study. 2002). It is responsible for cell integrity (Zhang et al., 2018) and therefore
in plant survival. Calcium is akin to boron in pollen tube germination and
Conflict of interests: The authors have declared that
elongation (Wang et al., 2003; White and Broadley, 2003; Prasad et al.,
no conflict of interest exists.
2014; Zheng et al., 2019). Calcium in cells is present as Ca2+ ions or as
insoluble compounds in association with organic molecules in apoplast.
In cell walls it is associated with pectin linkages and is therefore in plant
structure. In some plants calcium is present as insoluble crystalline
calcium oxalate as a protection mechanism (Prasad and Shivay, 2017).
As Ca is relatively less mobile in plants its deficiency is most noticeable
on younger leaves or growing points and fruits, which may display dead
spots, crinkling, spotting / mottling, small brown spots and stunted
growth. Some, well – known Ca deficiency diseases are brown pit in
apple, cavity pit in carrots and blossom end rot of bell pepper (Prasad
et al., 2016).
2. Physiological Role of Calcium
Calcium is well known for its role in cell division and cell elongation. A
large part of the calcium in most plants is located in the leaves and more
calcium is present in the older than in the younger leaves. In many plant
Article History
RECEIVED in 20th February 2020 RECEIVED in revised form 02nd October 2020 ACCEPTED in final form 14th October 2020

Journal Home: https://pphouse.org/ijbsm.php © 2020 PP House i

Prasad and Shivay, 2020

species calcium is present in the form of insoluble crystals of a Ca content of 3% indicates the presence of free calcium
calcium oxalate. Calcium also forms salts with other organic carbonate (Jena and Rout, 2016). In soils Ca occurs in three
acids and enter into chemical combination with protein forms, namely, insoluble minerals, exchangeable Ca and
molecules. It is important for nitrate reduction in plant tissues Ca in solution. Generally there tends to be an equilibrium
(Jena and Rout, 2016). between three forms. A large amount of calcium is present
as exchangeable Ca on silicate minerals in soils having pH 6.0
3. Enzyme Activity or above, it can range from <25 to 5000 mg kg-1 soil. Calcium
An important function of Ca2+ is the activation of a number in soil solution can range from 6 to 778 mg kg-1 soil (Prasad
of enzymes including cyclic nucleotide phosphor-diesterase, and Power, 1997).
adenylate cyclase. Membrane bound Ca2+ ATPase and NAD-
6. Interaction of Calcium with Other Plant Nutrients
Kinase which it performs in association with calomdulin.
Calmodulin is a polypeptide of 148 amino acids stable and Calcium being the base cation in exchange complex of the
sensitive to pH (Jena and Rout, 2016). soil generally positively interacts with most plant nutrients.
Despite being responsible for so many functions, calcium is Among the primary nutrients, Ca interacts positively with
never applied as a fertilizer, because it is available in plenty in N in crop production. However, application of acid forming
neutral (pH 7.0) or near neutral soils. However it is present in nitrogen fertilizers, such as, ammonium sulphate, ammonium
fairly large amounts in phosphate fertilizers (single and triple chloride, ammonium nitrate, anhydrous ammonia and
phosphate) and in nitrogen fertilizer like calcium ammonium urea deplete soil calcium. To replace Ca depleted due to
nitrate (Nitro-chalk in Europe). In acid soils (below pH 6.8) and acid forming nitrogen fertilizers 84 to 148 kg lime (CaCO3)
in sodic soils (above pH 8.0) it is applied as a soil amendment is required per 100 kg fertilizer (Prasad and Power, 1997).
in large amounts and Ca nutrition is taken care of. However, Calcium and phosphorus are supportive of each other and
Ca is used as a fertilizer in groundnut. the first phosphate fertilizer made was single superphosphate
containing CaH2PO4 and CaSO4. However in neutral and above
4. Response of Calcium Application in Groundnut neutral soil, when heavy phosphorus applications are made,
In groundnut, after fertilization, gynophore penetrates the soil Ca may be precipitated, but even tri-calcium phosphate is
and pod develops underground. The calcium requirements are available to crop plants. As regards K, both Ca and K compete
high and the plant roots are not able to absorb and supply for absorption sites and at normal rates of K application only
enough Ca for the pod development. In a study using labeled a positive interaction is reported between the two nutrients.
Ca, when it was applied as to the fruit zone, 88.3% was Among the secondary nutrients Ca and S are supportive to
absorbed by the fruits and the rest went to other parts of plant, each other and that is why gypsum is a preferred fertilizer
however, when it was supplied in the root zone about 66% for groundnut as compared to lime (CaCO3). Mg and Ca may
was absorbed by the roots themselves (Chahal and Virmani, compete each other for adsorption site on roots and only
1973). Ramachandran and Kulkarni (1992) showed that, while at very high rates of Mg application it may interfere with Ca
a Ca–saturation of 25% in exchange complex was adequate nutrition. Dolomite is used as a liming material.
in sandy soils, heavy clay soils needed a Ca saturation of 75%
In acid soils, liming helps in removing Fe and Mn toxicity.
or more. For acid soils of pH 5.1, 1 t ha-1 lime or 0.3 t ha-1 of
These two plant nutrients and Al can reach toxicity limits in
gypsum is recommended for groundnut (Raddar and Biradar,
acid soils. Mukherjee et al. (1947) pointed out the importance
1973). In USA, Carolina’s peanut industry, especially the large
of exchangeable Al in soil acidity and Foy (1992) pointed out
percentage of Virginia-type peanuts grown, has created a big
that in acid soils exchangeable Al did most damage to plants.
need for calcium fertilization, commonly referred to as ‘land-
Heavy liming may however lead to Fe deficiency.
plastering’ (Roberson, 2009).
Since both Ca and B are less mobile in plants, they generally
5. Calcium in Soils support each other in fruit development. Very high Ca uptake
Calcium is the fifth abundant element in earth’s crust after may cause B deficiency. A Ca: B ratio of 100–400 is considered
O, Si, Al and Fe) and makes up about 3.64% (by weight) of for good crop yields (Jena and Rout, 2016).
earth’s crust (Mengel and Kirkby, 1987). It is present in earth 7. Conclusion
as mineral deposits of calcite (CaCO3), dolomite (CaCO3
MgCO3), gypsum (CaSO4.2H2O) and appetites or phosphorites Calcium is an essential plant nutrient but is not needed to be
{3[Ca3(PO4)2] CaX}, where ‘X’ could be F, Cl, OH or CO3. Calcium applied every season/year, because it is available in plenty in
is also a component of silicate minerals viz. anorthite, augite, neutral soils, while in acid soils it is applied in large amounts
hornblende and albite (Prasad, 2007). Calcium content in as lime and in sodic soils it is applied as gypsum. Also it is
soils depends upon the parent material and weathering. In an important component of some phosphorus and nitrogen
leached humid tropics it may range from 0.1 to 0.3%, while fertilizers. However, its application as gypsum or lime (in acid
in calcareous soils it may range from <1% to 25%. In general, soils) in groundnut at pegging stage is essential for good pod

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 International Journal of Bio-resource and Stress Management 2020, 11(5):i-iii

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