Poovamma clocked 53.72 seconds to finish 0.175 seconds behind Botswana's Amantle Montsho who registered 51.20 to take the top spot.
Anastasia Le-Roy of Jamaica clocked her season's best time of 51.37 seconds to take the second spot.
The top four runners in each of the four heats earn a direct spot in the semi-finals.
Apart from Montsho and Le-Roy, third placed Emily Diamond (52.26) of England and Zambia's Quincy Malekani (52.40) also entered the semi-finals.
Poovamma still has a chance to reach the next stage as the four fastest athletes outside the top four are also allowed into the semi-finals.
However, she will now have to wait for the results of the other four heats later in the day.
(This story has not been edited by Social News XYZ staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
