Soil zinc in different types of Indian soils was studied to see how much of it plants can absorb. Most of the zinc in the soil is not easily taken up by plants. The types of zinc that plants can use the most are complexed, water soluble, exchangeable, and organically bound. Only a small amount of the zinc in the soil is in these forms. When extra zinc is added to the soil, most of it ends up in forms that plants can't use well. Only a small portion of the added zinc is in forms that plants can easily absorb. Some special chemicals can help recover some of the added zinc for plants to use.