Crop Related Knowledge Center

Appropriate crop nutrition requires intimate knowledge of the role of various nutrients for plants in general and also the specific nutrient requirements of individual crops.

• What is nutrition?
• DFPCL and Crop Nutrition
• Role of micronutrients
• Role of nutrition in Viticulture
• Role of nutrition in individual crops
• DFPCL Agrilab Services
• Collection and Preparation of Soil Samples for Analysis
• Potassium in plant physiology, its effect on yield & quality formation
• Agronomic aspects of Nitro phosphate based complex fertilisers
• The Indian Vegetable Seeds Industry
• Sulphur status of Maharashtra soils and crop responses to sulphur application

 

 

What is nutrition?

Plants need at least sixteen essential nutrient elements for proper growth and development. Some nutrients, referred to as primary nutrients are required in large quantities. These are Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium. Other nutrients that required in small and very small quantities are referred as secondary nutrients (Ca, Mg and S) and micronturients (Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, B, Mo and Cl) respectively.

Being essential plant nutrients, all these elements have certain specific roles to play in the plant and their presence in a certain critical concentration is a must for a plant to complete its life cycle. The roles of micronutrients are wide-ranging from very simple to highly complex and with few exceptions are fairly specific for each particular nutrient.

Even though micronutrients are required in very small quantities, the deficiency of any of these nutrients cannot be corrected by the addition of another nutrient. Deficiency of any of the micronutrients ultimately results in poor growth and reduced yield levels. As agriculture has become increasingly intensive, the extent of nutrient deficiencies in the soil-plant system is increasing day by day. This makes it imperative to include deficient secondary and micronutrients in balanced fertilisation strategies along with N, P and K.

 

 

DFPCL and Crop Nutrition

DFPCL Fertilisers Deepak Fertilisers and Petrochemical Corporation Limited has a range of basic fertilisers.

Complex Fertiliser (23:23:0)

• MAHADHAN Power: This is manufactured by DFPCL and is the only four-in-one fertiliser.
  
• MAHADHAN Chetak: This traded DAP fertiliser is the highest-nutrient content fertiliser.

Potassic Fertiliser

• MAHADHAN Potash: This traded MOP fertiliser helps in quality improvement in crops.

Mixture Fertiliser

• Bhoodhan: This traded fertiliser mixture is easy for application due to bigger and bolder granular size.

DFPCL Micronutrient Products DFPCL's speciality agro products cater to the micronutrient needs of a wide range of plants.

• Mahadhan Bensulf - a uniquely designed controlled release Sulphur nutrient.
  
• Mahadhan Shakti - a range of micronutrient formulations to suit different soil and crop types in different agro climatic regions in India.
• Mahadhan Amruta - fully water-soluble fertilisers containing NPK (nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium) with or without micronutrients designed to be delivered through drip irrigation systems and foliar application.
• Mahadhan Sahaj - Organic manure designed to maintain soil health and fertility.
• Mahadhan Zinksulf - helps overcome problems of zinc deficiency.

 

 

Role of micronutrients

The roles of some of the micronutrients within the plant system are as follows:

• Iron (Fe): Iron plays a vital role in the synthesis of chlorophyll, carbohydrate production, cell respiration, reduction of Nitrate sulphate and N assimilation.
• Manganese (Mn): Manganese activates a number of enzymes. It is essential for splitting the water molecule during photosynthesis. It is also important in N metabolism and CO2 assimilation.
• Zinc (Zn): Zinc is essential for auxin and protein synthesis, seed production and proper maturity.
• Copper (Cu):Copper is involved in chlorophyll formation and is a part of several important enzyme systems involved in proper growth and development of plant. It is also essential for the production of vitamin A and also encourages the reproduction process.
• Boron (B):Boron is essential for membrane integrity, cell wall development, cell division and cell elongation. It is also required for the proper growth of pollen tube and for the process of reproduction.
• Molybdenum (Mo): It is directly involved in protein synthesis and nitrogen fixation by legumes.

 

 

Role of nutrition in Viticulture

The essential role if nutrition in:

• Cereals
• Maize
• Oilseeds
• Legumes
• Potato
• Sugar Beet
• Citrus Fruits
• Pip Fruits
• Stone Fruits
• Strawberries and Blueberries
• The Phosphorus Problem
• Potato Dry Petiole Analysis
• Nutrition management in Oilseed crops

 

Essential Role of Nutrition for Cereals

Good Nutrition Improves crop establishment, winter hardiness and tillering Enhances disease resistance (take all, snow rot) Increases fertility (more grains per ear) Gives better grain quality

Key Nutrients Iron (Fe) Magnesium (Mg) Manganese (Mn) Copper (Cu) Zinc (Zn)

A deficiency of one or more of these elements seriously affects vigour, productivity, quality and yield

Iron Iron is very important for chlorophyll formation, photosynthesis and protein synthesis Deficiency symptoms are... Pale yellow plants Stunting Reduced tillering Interveinal yellow chlorosis on younger leaves

Magnesium Vital for good crop establishment Deficiency symptoms... Alternate green and pale yellow bands along leaves Older leaves affected first Leaves dieback prematurely

Manganese Improves crop establishment winter hardiness, disease resistance and gives a better grain quality Deficiency symptoms... Pale yellow streaks and random brown flecks on leaves leaves may appear floppy Usually seen in patches across a field

Copper Essential for ear and grain development Deficiency symptoms Spiralling of younger leaves Leaf tips shrivel Ears show blind grain sites or poor grain formation

Zinc

• Necessary for ear development and grain quality
• Deficiency symptoms...

1. Parallel yellow bands appear at either side of the leaf midrib
   
2. There may be a yellow/orange tint during early growth stages

 

Essential Role of Nutrition for Maize

• Seed companies have produced hybrid maize varieties to ensure maximum performance in many conditions
• Optimum nutrition is essential at all stages of the growing season to ensure that the genetic potential of the crop is not limited
• At the key early stages of crop development adverse climatic or soil conditions and small root volume often mean that nutrient supply from the soil is less than adequate

Key Macronutrients

• Maize is a fast growing crop producing a large biomass
• Adequate macro-nutrient fertilisation is essential for optimum yield and quality
• Unfortunately pre-plant fertiliser or even post-emergence localised soil applications may not always be sufficiently available at critical times of the season
• Key macronutrients essential for maize are Phosphorus and Zinc. Other micronutrients are also required.

 

PHOSPHORUS Role of Phosphorus Phosphorus is involved with... Cell division, energy transfer, nucleic acid formation, protein synthesis and carbohydrate metabolism It is important for... Crop establishment Root development Early crop growth Phosphorus Deficiency Symptoms Stunted plants Purple or red coloration on stems and leaves Dark green leaves Dark yellow chlorotic and necrotic leaf tips Foliar phosphorus is an effective supplement to soil applied treatments

ZINC Role of Zinc Zinc is without doubt the most widely deficient nutrient for maize production Inadequate zinc nutrition affects early crop development and can have a serious affect upon yield potential and crop quality Zinc is important for - the correct functioning of many enzyme systems, the synthesis of nucleic acids and auxin (plant hormone) metabolism normal crop development and growth Zinc Deficiency Symptoms Pale yellow stripes parallel to the leaf midrib starting at the base of the youngest leaves Reduced internodes and stunted plants Red colour when plant severely affected Partially filled cobs at harvest Reduced yield Zinc deficiencies are made worse by... Cold wet weather conditions Soils receiving high phosphorus applications (common for maize) Soils rich in phosphorus High pH soils Organic soils Zinc Treatment Adequate zinc nutrition is vital in the early part of the season Soil application (before sowing) Seed treatment, and Foliar spraying (4-8 leaf stage) are all effective

Other Important Micronutrients

1. Manganese, copper and boron deficiency can affect maize if soil levels are low
2. Yield and quality will be reduced unless appropriate treatments are made
3. Foliar sprays at the 4-8 leaf stage will be effective in overcoming deficiencies

 

 

The Essential Role Of Nutrition For Oilseed Rape

Good Nutrition...

• Reduces plant losses over winter
• Gives a better crop establishment
• Improves spring regrowth
• Improves flowering and provides more even maturity
• Boosts seed yield and oil content

Key Nutrients

• Secondary Nutrients
  1. magnesium (Mg)
     
  2. sulphur (S)
• Micronutrients
  1. boron (B)
     
  2. manganese (Mn)
     
  3. molybdenum (Mo)

Better Crop Establishment And Reduced Plant Losses Over Winter

• Magnesium
1. strongly influences crop establishment
• Manganese
  1. increases winter hardiness
     
  2. improves disease resistance
• Sulphur
  1. ensures a good nitrogen/sulphur ratio (around 16 to 1)

Increased Nutrient Levels In The Crop For Better Spring Regrowth

• Good nutritional status of the crop at this time helps to counteract the effects of:
  1. cold wet soils
     
  2. slow root growth and development
     
  3. poor nutrient uptake
     
  4. frost damage

Improved Flowering And More Even Maturity

• Boron
1. ensures a more even and stronger pollination
• Molybdenum
  1. increases nitrogen utilisation

Boost Seed Yield And Oil Content

• Boron enhances pod set
• Magnesium ensures high chlorophyll content of leaves and maximum photosynthesis
• Manganese ensures optimum utilisation of photosynthetic products (i.e. sugars) and their conversion to oil.
• Molybdenum ensures proper nitrogen and phosphate utilisation during this key production stage
• Sulphur maintains a good nitrogen/sulphur (N/S) ratio, important for oil yield and quality

 

 

Role of nutrition in individual crops

DFPCL Agrilab Services

Collection and Preparation of Soil Samples for Analysis

Potassium in plant physiology, its effect on yield & quastrongty formation

Agronomic aspects of Nitro phosphate based complex fertistrongsers

The Indian Vegetable Seeds Industry

Sulphur status of Maharashtra soils and crop responses to sulphur appstrongcation