Economical implications of an accurate soil application fertilizacion program
Many times may occur that a soil application fertilization plans for a specific productive unit is not designed considering the custom needs of it, which leads to:
- Fertilization products over applications
- Non neccesary costs related to farm hand (labour)
- Productivity loss due to a unblanaced soil bases, caused by non calculated application ration Ca : Mg : K, that is specific for every crop
In the measure the fertilizer application plan is customized considering all the characteristics of the relation plant-soil for your crop, thus, is in that measure you may have a higher level of certainty to reach your productivity goals, so you can maximize your crop potential.
The influence of soil sampling and the criteria used to apply fertilizers
Herramienta de muestreo de Suelos
In the he most of agriculture projects is mentioned the term "chemical and phisical soil analysis" as universal tool -and sometimes the only one- that leads to plant nutrition decisions related to the crop in question. Moreover, the greatest trouble doesn't seem to be that the application of one or another fertilizer product is based on the soil analysis itself, but some other previous considerations to any technical decision, for instance:
- How representative was the sample analyzed?
- The farm or productive unit takes in consideration Agronomic Management Units (AMU)?
- Are considered besides the chemical content of the soil (nutrients), but their phisical characteristics?
After the previous doubts are cleared, is also important take in consideration the following factors to make a custom fertilizer soil application program:
- Adsorption levels of edafic phosphorus, adjusted using laboratory measures.
- Buffer capacity of the soil; how changes its acidity (pH) according the addition of Calcium Carbonate equivalents
- Structure levele of the soil, and how structures itself through time by the addition of ammendments, microorganisms and fungii.
- Expansive clays presence (2:1 clays)
- Efective Cathionic Interchange Capacity and its variation through time by fulvic and humic acids applications.
- Relación Ca : Mg : K para el cultivo.
- Phenological stage of the crop, wether the fertilization would be calculated to keep certain levels of nutrients on the soil nor based on extraction rates and therefore, according the production goal of the crop (tons per hectare)
Relation among edafic and foliar fertilization
The edafic nutrition (soil applied) is to the plant what any food is for animals, what can also be said that the "stomach" of any plant is on under the soil considering the funcionality of roots on plants.
Even the foliar fertilization is also a common practice for the most of the crops mainly because the use of the labor is maximized by applying foliar fertilizer products along with phytosanitary products for pest and disease control.
However, the nutrients applied to the foliage have a very different and effect to the merely nutritional purpose cause the proportion of nutrients that is possible to provide to a tree through foliar applications is insignificant compared to the ammout that can be demanded in total including edafic applications. Among the fundamental reasons because is necessary a well designed foliar fertilizers applications custom plan are:
- Maximize the fruit set process after every blossom by Calcium, Boron, Magnesium and Zinc applications.
- Blossom induction according the crop and cultivar by mainly Potassium, Calcium and hormones applications
Foliar Tissue Analysis, what is its use for? 
A systematic foliar tissue sampling implicates that the nutrients levels on the foliar tissue are continiously monitored, what turns it in a fundamental tool to perform corrections both in the edafic and foliar fertilizer application programs.
The interpretation of the results delivered by a certified laboratory for these tests must be compared to an ideal nutrients level chart that have been determined by specialist for the most of the crops nowadays.
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