Cobalt in Plant, Animal and Human Nutrition

Cobalt is a beneficial element for growth of higher plants, but it's essential for legumes nodulation and fixation of atmospheric nitrogen. Low levels of cobalt addition increase plant growth yield as well as fruit quality while high cobalt concentration exerted hazardous effect. In newly reclaimed soils and under water shortage cobalt help plants to resist stresses caused by salinity, high temperature, as well as deficit water and proved to have promotive effect on growth parameters and obtained yield. Concerning the soils of Egypt, it could be stated that newly reclaimed soils, have poor cobalt content except saline ones, which have high concentration but mostly in non available form. Animals require cobalt as a constituent of vitamin B12. Cobalt is an essential feeding constituent for sheep, cattle, goats and cows. Cobalt deficiency is rally a vitamin B12 deficiency. Microorganisms in the rumin are able to synthesize vitamin B12 of ruminants if the diet has adequate cobalt. In human cobalt is essential for the production of blood cell. It is found in adult tissues such as heart, brain, stomach, bone, skin, hair, pancreatic juice, kidneys, plasma, urinar.