Role of Micronutrient Fertilizers
To overcome micronutrient deficiencies and ensure optimum crop production, balanced fertilization with both macronutrients and micronutrients is essential. Micronutrient fertilizers play a key role in correcting deficiencies and eliminating the yield penalties attributed to their lack.
Foliar application of micronutrients is widely adopted as it ensures quick correction of visible deficiency symptoms. Chelated Micronutrients Fertilizers formulations that contain EDTA, EDDHA or other organic acids have high solubility and are readily absorbed by plant leaves. Foliar sprays of iron, manganese and zinc chelates are commonly used to boost their levels in deficient crops.
Soil application of micronutrient fertilizers provides a long term source for continuous crop uptake throughout the growing season. However, their low solubility especially in alkaline soils limits their availability to plants. Granular and powdered forms containing sulfate, oxide or chelated salts of micronutrients like borates are incorporated into soil prior to planting.
Benefits of Integrated Micronutrient Management
To reap maximum benefits, an integrated approach combining both soil and foliar application of micronutrients is often adopted. Initial foliar spraying rescues the crop from acute deficiency followed by soil application for long term improvement in soil micronutrient status.
This integrated management provides readily available micronutrients to plants through foliage while improving their availability in subsequent seasons from soil applications. Such a balanced nutrition program optimizes crop yield, quality and profitability even under adverse soil conditions. It prevents the onset of secondary deficiencies and sustains production over the long run.
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