SunBoost - Chloride & Calcium Nutrition of Cereals
Chloride deficiency limits both growth and yield of crops. Chloride leaches rapidly from soil €“ particularly lighter soils and should be regarded in the same way as nitrate.
Chloride is involved in photosynthesis, enzyme activation and transport of nutrients within the plant.
Chloride is also involved in disease resistance and suppression within the plant, with effects on leaf rust, septoria and physiological leaf spotting.
Chloride is commonly believed to be present in sufficient amounts in soil due to the regular addition in the form of Muriate of Potash, soil reserves and deposits from the air.
However the British Survey of Fertiliser Practice shows that over 50% of crops do not receive Potash fertiliser, and the average dressing has decreased from 53kg/ha to 33kg/ha in the last 5 years.
Research in the US has shown that chloride levels in wheat need to be 0.4% in the boot to flowering stage to achieve maximum yield potential.
Calcium applied with nitrogen increases nitrogen use efficiency by more rapid absorption and possibly increases in photosynthesis
Calcium is essential to increase cell wall strength in all crops. This makes plants more resistant to attack by both pests and diseases, including problem diseases such as Fusarium and sclerotinia.
Calcium also plays a part in the plants response to stress, and can affect the rate of transpiration and thereby water use efficiency.
Oilseed rape crops have as much Ca in the seed as Mg, but offtake of Ca in the stubble is 3x higher than Mg and 2x higher than S
SunBoost may be applied as a foliar spray at 50l/ha to cereal crops to boost protein and supply Ca and chloride to maximise yield potential. Foliar applications of N are immediately available to the crop unlike granular fertilisers which are reliant on rainfall to render them available in the soil.
Apply 25-50l/ha (5.7-11.5kg N) equivalent to 18-35kg standard N as urea solution