Liebigs's Barrel - 1873 "The Law of the Minimum"
"If one growth factor or nutrient is deficit, plant growth is limited, even if all other factors and nutrients are adequate. Plant growth is improved by increasing the supply of the deficient nutrient, thus maximising the yield and quality of a crop leading to value creation.
Using Our Soil Analysis Service
Crop nutrition starts with Soil Analysis, which determines the nutrient index in the soil from 0-10. With 0 being deficient and 10 being high in nutrients. As shown above, all nutrients need to be in balance a deficiency in one area will lead to low yield. Our blends provide enough fresh nutrients to replace those removed by a crop and target specific areas to avoid waste and cost. All our crop nutrition advisors are FACTS Trained and use the soil results in conjunction with DEFRA, RB209 and local knowledge.
Nutrition Check List
Good crop nutrition will help to achieve maximum crop productivity for maximum profits and minimal impact on the environment while adhering to all legislation. Some basic principles should be followed to achieve these goals:
1. Identify the soil type in order to understand nutrient requirements.
2. Analyse soil for nutrient content every 3-5 years and adapt nutrient inputs to maintain values of:
pH6.5 (5.8 peat soils)
P Index2
K Index2-
Mg Index2
Root crops such as sugar beet, vegetables and potatoes should be soil tested every year to ensure correct
nutrients are applied.
3. Determine the Soil Nitrogen Supply (SNS) either by field assessment method or by sampling and analysis for soil
mineral nitrogen.
4. Determine nutrient supply from organic sources and deduct available nutrient sources from total crop requirement.
5. Apply Phosphorus and Potassium to maintain nutrients from crop removal and apply additional quantities if soil indices are low.
6. Apply nutrients at the correct timing to match plant demand.
7. Check that the fertiliser spreader or sprayer is calibrated to deliver nutrient accurately.
8. Record all fertilisers and organic materials used.