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The Agri-King
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September 2014
The Importance of Micro-Minerals: Manganese
By Dr. James C. Coomer, Ph.D., P.A.S.
anganese (Mn) is an dairy cow since she is in negative
important trace mineral energy balance and is relying on
(required in very small quantities). the liver to metabolize body fat
It is involved in many aspects of to meet her energy needs for milk
both plant and animal life, primarily production. Reproduction in cattle
as an enzyme activator. One of has also been shown to be affected
the most common deficiency by Mn deficiency, with sterility and
symptoms is reduced growth or reduced conception rates reported
abnormal growth and development in both the US and in Great Britain.
(perosis in chickens). Manganese is The exact reason for this effect
involved in activating the enzymes has not been determined as yet,
responsible for the production but improvements in reproduction
of
mucopolysaccharides
and were produced when diets low
glycoproteins which form the in Mn were supplemented with
organic matrix of bone and additional Mn.
cartilage. Therefore a deficiency Manganese is a di- (+2) or triof Mn may result in shortened or
(+3) valent metal cation similar
malformed bones, especially in
to iron. About 25% of the total
fetuses from cows that have been body Mn is found in the skeleton
eating a diet deficient in Mn.
and excess Mn will be reflected
Manganese is also a part of Mn- in excess concentrations in hair,
superoxide dismutase, which is wool and feathers. Manganese
involved with limiting the build up absorption is generally very poor
of highly reactive oxide molecules with most studies reporting 1%
in cells. There is also a metabolic or less of the ingested Mn being
association between Mn and choline absorbed from the digestive tract.
which affects fat metabolism in the Manganese competes directly
liver. Manganese is involved in the with cobalt (Co) and iron (Fe) for
biosynthesis of choline and thus a binding sites in the digestive tract.
deficiency of Mn may result in a As a result, an excess of Co or Fe
deficiency of choline. A choline may result in lower absorption of
deficiency limits the liver’s ability Mn and a potential deficiency of
to metabolize fats and use them Mn. Calcium (Ca) and phosphorus
for energy and may result in build
(P) also influence absorption of Mn.
up of fat in the liver (fatty liver). High levels of dietary Ca and/or P
This situation would be especially also reduce Mn absorption most
important in the early post-partum likely due to lowered solubility of
M
The Agri-King Advantage | VOLUME 5, ISSUE 4
Mn. Manganese is more soluble
at a lower pH. With this in mind,
plants/crops grown on lower pH
soils will have higher levels of Mn
than crops grown on soils with a
higher pH. Most Mn deficiencies
in ruminant animals have been
reported in areas where soil pH is
higher and forages are lower in Mn
content.
As the name trace-mineral
implies, the requirement for
Mn is very low and is generally
expressed as parts per million
(ppm) or milligrams/kilogram
(mg/kg). Requirements for Mn in
chicken diets is the highest of any
species with suggested levels of
40-60 ppm in the diet to prevent
perosis (slipped tendon). Beef
cattle suggested levels in the diet
are around 20-40 ppm and dairy
cattle at about 40 ppm on a dry
matter basis. These requirements
may need to be raised if any of
the confounding factors (high
Ca, P, Co or Fe) that affect Mn
absorption are involved in the diet.
Manganese supplementation is
also more critical in geographical
areas where soil pH is higher and
therefore crops would have lower
levels of Mn. Manganese sulfate
has historically been the most
common source of Mn used in
animal nutrition to supplement the
diet. However, in the last 20 years it
has become more and more common
to use “organic” forms of Mn to
supplement the diets of livestock.
The term “organic”, when referring
to trace minerals has nothing to do
with “Certified Organic” livestock
farming. “Organic” trace minerals
refers to trace minerals that have
been complexed or chelated to an
organic molecule such as an amino
acid or sugar molecule. This is done
to reduce the likelihood of the Mn
interacting with or being interfered
with by the other confounding factors
mentioned earlier and in some cases
it is believed absorption from the
digestive tract is increased through
the use of a different absorption site
associated with the organic molecule.
The organic forms of Mn are more
expensive to use, but many in the
livestock industry, including AgriKing believe it is worth the expense
to supply some of the dietary Mn in
the organic form.
There has been some talk recently
about Mn and glyphosate resistant
crops, based on some research out of
Indiana that showed glyphosate will
complex with Mn. It has been shown
that glyphosate does in fact complex
with Mn as well as Ca and Mg.
This appears to be a bigger problem
for weed control than for crop or
livestock issues. The glyphosate
that complexes with one of these
minerals, becomes inactive and
therefore unable to control weeds
in the crop. As for creating a Mn
deficiency in the plant, it appears this
may only be a problem in areas with
very low soil Mn levels and high soil
pH.
Manganese toxicity is very
unlikely to occur in most species.
This is mainly a result of the very low
absorption of Mn from the intestine.
Any toxicity would likely result from
high levels of Mn interfering with
the absorption of another mineral
(Cu, Fe) and causing a deficiency of
that mineral. AK
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