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Updated: Jul 11, 2026

Hydroponics: A Versatile System to Study Nutrient Allocation and Plant Responses to Nutrient Availability and Exposure to Toxic Elements
Published on: July 13, 2016
Nickel: an essential micronutrient for legumes and possibly all higher plants
Abstract:
Soybean plants deprived of nickel accumulated toxic concentrations of urea (2.5 percent) in necrotic lesions on their leaflet tips. This occurred regardless of whether the plants were supplied with inorganic nitrogen or were dependent on nitrogen fixation. Nickel deprivation resulted in delayed nodulation and in a reduction of early growth. Addition of nickel (1 microgram per liter) to the nutrient media prevented urea accumulation, necrosis, and growth reductions. This evidence suggests that nickel is essential for soybeans and possibly for higher plants in general.
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