Foliar Fertilizer
Foliar Fertilizer
Worldwide, many horticulture crops are facing low yield and quality problem due to fertilizer application at inadequate rate. Meanwhile, many advanced countries are changing their policies of agriculture to reduce or ban chemical products. The applications of fertilizers can be done to crops by soil and foliar yet foliar feeding has been the subject of much debate. Opponents point out that the leaves of plants are not designed to take up nutrients and the translocation of nutrients to other parts of the plant is much less efficient when taken in through the leaves versus when absorbed by the roots.
Research has revealed, however, Foliar applied Mg plays an important function in physiological and biochemical cycle of plants for example, compounds initiation for proteins synthesis, Metabolism of starches and energy transfer just as magnesium likewise proceeds as an impetus in oxidation and reduction reaction inside the tissues of plant along with magnesium enhances the resistance against dry spell in plant.
Additional research demonstrated that nutrients are more likely to be taken in through the leaf cuticle. The latter contains a pathway of extremely minute pores (< 1 nm in diameter) with a density of about ten billion pores per cm3 of leaf surface area. These micro-pores are lined with negative charges which tend to attract (when in ionic form) positively charged elements such as calcium (Ca++), magnesium (Mg++), potassium (K+), ammonium-form nitrogen (NH+), etc. Movement through the cuticle is dependent upon a number of factors including, nutrient concentration, molecule size, organic vs. inorganic, etc.
In short, foliar Mg feeding is simple, affordable, environment friendly and should be considered a supplement to a sound, well-designed soil fertility program, and not a substitute for the latter. Given proper circumstances, foliar feeding can be helpful in managing the nutritional well-being of a crop, especially when it comes to correcting micro-nutrient deficiencies.
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