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Advantage The Agri-King Agri-King’s Newsflash Publication www.agriking.com 800-435-9560 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 The Agri-King Advantage To receive The Agri-King Advantage via e-mail newsletter – go to www.agriking.com. Select Home>About Us>Newsletter Signup For paper copies sent to your home, contact your Area Manager. The Agri-King Advantage | Volume 5, Issue 4