When it comes crop nutrition, the macronutrients dominate both the management discussion and the fertilizer bill. That focus is certainly justified as primary macronutrients — nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium — play a critical role in ensuring a successful crop. Farmers are also rewarded when they pay attention to secondary macronutrients, including sulphur, calcium and magnesium.
But what about micronutrients? Do farmers ignore them at their peril and risk the prospect of reduced yield if they fail to meet the crop’s need for the likes of boron, zinc, iron, manganese, copper, chlorine, molybdenum?
Micros may be a small ingredient in the crop nutrition recipe, but they can play a mighty big role in producing high-yielding crops, says Dr. Luke Gatiboni, University of North Carolina State associate professor and soil fertility specialist. He notes that while large quantities of the macros are required by crops like corn and soybeans, all the micros combined make up less than 0.03 per cent of the nutrients required by these row crop plants.
“The reason for them to be in very small quantities is because, in general, they are not associated with the tissue of the plants,” says Gatiboni. Typically, micronutrients are charged with a specific activity inside the plant, he explains. They may be part of an enzyme or be activating a protein, or some other specific task but “they are as essential as nitrogen,” he adds.
Gatiboni kicked off the proceedings this week at the Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association’s MicroSmart Deep Dive meeting in Kingston, Ont. In this report, Gatiboni and RealAgriculture’s Bernard Tobin discuss micronutrient management including how soil texture, organic matter, and pH levels significantly impact micro availability.
Gatiboni also notes how micro deficiencies can lead to yield reductions of 20 to 30 per cent, often going unnoticed without proper soil and plant tissue testing. He says there’s an increasing focus on micronutrients as modern agriculture practices deplete soil reserves, necessitating fine-tuning of fertilization programs for optimal crop yields. Listen to the full report below.
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