Back 2 Basics: Crop Nutrient Deficiency

Managing In-Season Crop Stress: Nutrient Deficiency or Something Else?

Your crops are at the mercy of Mother Nature, and as the season progresses, environmental conditions can stress your plants in various ways. Determining the proper response to these stresses in-season can be a challenge. While there’s no question Mother Nature holds a lot of cards from season to season, these environmental factors can have a major effect on a crop’s ability to take in nutrients.

Nutrient Loss During Heavy Rainfall

In years with excessive rainfall, we can see some of our nutrients start to get away from us, especially those leachable nutrients like nitrate, nitrogen, boron, and sulfur. During those heavy rainfall seasons, we may have to address nutrient deficiencies in-season.

When looking at different application methods to correct these deficiencies, we could either wait for the soil to dry out and then make our application, or if the moisture persists and we can’t get across that acre, use aerial applications of certain nutrients to address the deficiency in the field.

Dealing With Drought and Low Soil Moisture

On the flip side, drought or low-moisture conditions in the soil can lead to deficiencies in many nutrients, with potassium being the most common. Potassium moves in and out of the plant with soil moisture, so when the soil is dry, that nutrient can’t be effectively translocated into the plant.

To address these deficiencies during dry periods, growers can consider side-dress applications or foliar feeding. If irrigation is available, drought may not be a major concern, but in overall dry conditions, a fertigation pass can be very beneficial to the crop.

When making these applications, it’s important to remember that the fertilizer source matters. In dry conditions, nutrients must break down quickly to be absorbed by the plant. In those cases, a liquid fertilizer is often more effective than a dry product.

Preventing and Managing Crop Lodging

Another challenge we can sometimes face in-season is lodging, which can occur in crops like corn or wheat. Lodging can be caused by high winds, too much moisture, or insect feeding and pressure. It can also result from nutrient imbalances, such as too little potassium or excessive nitrogen.

To stay ahead of potential lodging issues, growers should pull tissue samples early in the season to check nutrient levels. If imbalances are found, a corrective application can be made, either through side-dressing or foliar feeding.

Prevention also starts with proper field management, such as maintaining the right plant population and matching nutrient plans to those populations and yield goals. Overcrowding or underfeeding dense populations can increase lodging risk and reduce performance.

Responding to Hail Damage

Sometimes, Mother Nature delivers a one-two punch with high winds and hail. If a hail event occurs but the damage isn’t severe enough to warrant replanting, the crop can often recover with help.

A foliar application containing a blend of micronutrients and fungicide can help mitigate disease risk from tissue damage and promote recovery. This type of application often helps the crop heal faster, recover yield potential, and reduce stress effects following the event.

Addressing Nutrient Deficiencies in Legume Crops

For legume crops, several environmental and biological factors can cause symptoms that look like nutrient deficiencies. Nematodes, disease, and poor inoculation are common culprits.

In fields that have never grown legumes before, or where poor inoculation has occurred, applying a legume inoculant can help promote proper nodulation. Without sufficient nodulation, plants often show nitrogen deficiency later in the season, leading to poor performance and reduced yield.

Work With Agronomists to Overcome In-Season Challenges

Environmental conditions can change quickly, and every season brings new variables. Understanding how rainfall, drought, and nutrient balance affect your crops can help you make better decisions to protect yield potential.

If you find yourself facing in-season challenges or nutrient deficiencies, reach out to us for assistance. One of our professional agronomists will gladly help answer your questions and develop a plan for your field.