Nutrients and Micronutrients in Agriculture

https://www.pioneer.com/home/site/us/agronomy/library/template.CONTENT/guid.7C664217-6A2C-4E51-892A-9CD61FEFC449

Micronutrients for Crop Production
By Steve Butzen, Agronomy Information Manager

Summary
Plant Requirements and Soil Availability
Micronutrient Removal by Crops
Detecting Micronutrient Deficiencies
Managing Micronutrient Deficiencies
References
Summary

Due to higher yields, commodity prices and crop input costs, growers are reviewing all potential barriers to top grain production, including micronutrient deficiencies.
In the major crops and production areas of North America, the micronutrients most often supplied by fertilization include zinc, manganese, boron and iron.

Micronutrient deficiencies can be detected by visual symptoms on crops and by testing soils and plant tissues.

The most reliable micronutrient soil tests are for zinc, boron, copper, and manganese. Though adequate, these tests are not as precise as those for soil pH, potassium and phosphorus.

Plant tissue analysis is more reliable than soil testing for identifying many micronutrient problems, and can also supplement soil test information.

Most often, micronutrients are soil-applied in a band at planting, or foliar-applied, as these methods allow lower use rates of sometimes expensive materials.