Iron(Fe)is an essential microelement for plant growth.Although Fe is the most abundant nutrient in the mineral solid phase of soils,its presence in soil solution is negligible.Fe deficiency is a major nutritional disorder in crops,especially on calcareous soils.The solution for Fe deficiency by agronomic practices or by breeding and obtaining genetically modified plants is not efficient enough,therefore,the application of Fe fertilizers still remains the efficient strategy to overcome Fe deficiency.Inorganic Fe fertilizers(eg.,FeSO4·7H2O)and Fecomplex fertilizers(eg.,lignosulfonates and humates)are frequentlyused in domestic market.EDTAFe chelate is low stable,and EDTA can become diketopiperazine,being the persistent organic pollutant in the environment.Synthetic Fe chelates(eg.,EDDHA/Fe3+,EDDHMA/Fe3+,EDDHSA/Fe3+)either applied to the soil or delivered to the foliage,are common used in abroad.Also,some new slowreleasing Fe fertilizers and biodegradable Fe chelates(eg.,IDHA/Fe3+,EDDS/Fe3+)have appeared in the market.This review covers the research progress on varieties,properties and effectiveness of Fe fertilizers in the recent years.