• Fertilizer Best Practices
• Water and the Eco System
• Sustainable Agriculture
• Desertification
• Corporate Social Responsibility

1. Bits of Facts

Did you know…

• Micro nutrients are very essential in floral bud formation and enhancing pollination and fruit setting in all plants. In coffee, they augment bean colour formation and influence production of flavour related attributes.

• A coffee tree is capable of producing more than 30Kg of berries per season.

• A banana is extremely high in potassium yet low in salt, making it the perfect to beat blood pressure. So much so, some countries have allowed banana industry to make official claims for the fruit's ability to reduce the risk of blood pressure and stroke.

2. FERTLIZERS AND THEIR USE

Fertilizers provide the additional plant nutrients that often are necessary for optimum crop production. Both chemical (inorganic) and organic fertilizers (including animal manure) are major sources of the nitrogen and phosphorus that plants require to flourish. Some things to consider when making a nutrient management plan are;

FIELD LOCATION AND SOIL PROPERTIES

The location of the field influences the mode and type of fertilizer applied. For Fields located next to streams, one should be careful to avoid nutrient pollution. Strips of vegetation between cropped areas and streams can greatly reduce pollution risks.

Soil properties also influence nutrient behavior. Some soils hold nutrients such as calcium, potassium, and magnesium better than others. Soils that don’t hold nutrients well, including sandy soils and some highly weathered soils, are at higher risk of nutrient leaching.

Another important soil property is its ability to hold phosphorus. Many soils, particularly volcanic ash soils, bind phosphorus into the soil structure, making it unavailable to plants. This factor needs to be considered when determining optimum phosphorus fertilizer application rates.

NUTRIENT APPLICATION RATES

Nutrient applications should be based on a comparison between available nutrients and plant requirements. The amount of added nutrients should be equal to the plant requirement minus the nutrients currently available in the soil. If you apply the amount of nutrients necessary to meet plant needs, only small amounts will be lost.

TYPES OF CHEMICAL FERTILIZER

“Complete” fertilizers are blends containing nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium (N, P, and K). Applying complete fertilizers based on crop needs for only one nutrient can result in over- or under application of the other nutrients they contain. The best way to avoid this problem is to apply appropriate amounts of single-nutrient fertilizers based on crop requirements and soil and tissue analysis.

FERTILIZER APPLICATION

If fertilizer is applied before or after the plant is best able to use it, it will not be taken up and may leach through the soil or be carried away in eroded soil or runoff water. Rather than a single application, one should apply smaller amounts of fertilizer several times during the growing season, and adjust the applications to make nutrients available when the plants most need them. Depending on a given situation, slow-release fertilizers may be a good option to control nutrient availability.

FERTILIZER HANDLING AND MIXING

Fertilizer solution tanks should be rinsed in the field, with the wash water applied to crops. Tanks should never be rinsed or directly emptied into streams or other water bodies. Both granular and liquid fertilizers should be mixed on a level concrete pad where any spills can be quickly contained and cleaned up.

FERTILIZER STORAGE

If stored properly in a secure location, fertilizers pose little danger to groundwater and surface water bodies. On larger farms, all liquid fertilizers should be stored on an impermeable floor, such as concrete. Piles of dry bulk fertilizer should be stored on an impermeable surface under cover or in a building. For smaller farms, simple storage cabinets and concrete mixing areas may be adequate. In all cases, fertilizer storage areas should be away from streams and lakes, and that the storage is secure from children, animals, and theft.

Fertility is only part of the soil management process. To maximize productivity, soils also need routine applications of organic matter. For flower and vegetable gardens, it's desirable to raise the soil organic content, over time, to 3 to 5 percent. Manufactured fertilizers are popular with gardeners since they are readily available, inexpensive, easy to apply, and generally provide a quick release of nutrients for plant growth. Application rates for any fertilizer depend on the content and the amount of nutrient to be applied. In products containing multiple nutrients, the application rate is always based on the nitrogen content. An organic fertilizer refers to a soil amendment derived from natural sources that guarantees the minimum percentages of nitrogen, phosphate, and potash.

All products sold as fertilizer require uniform labeling guaranteeing the minimum percentage of nutrients. The three-number combination (fertilizer grade or analysis) on the product identifies percentages of nitrogen (N), phosphate (P2O5), and potash (K2O), respectively. For example, a 16-8-32 Solufeed fertilizer contains 16 percent nitrogen, 8 percent available phosphate and 32 percent water-soluble potash. Phosphorus, P, is a primary nutrient in plant growth. The word phosphate, P2O5, refers to the ionic compound containing two atoms of phosphorus with five atoms of oxygen. The phosphorus content of fertilizers is measured in percent phosphate.

• Potassium, K, is a primary nutrient in plant growth. The word potash, K₂O, refers to the ionic compound containing two atoms of potassium with one atom of oxygen. The potassium content of fertilizers is measured in percent potash.
  
  The product may also identify other nutrients, such as sulfur, iron, and zinc, if the manufacturer wants to guarantee the amount. This may be done by placing a fourth number on the product label and identifying what nutrient was added in the ingredients.
  
  Time release or slow release fertilizers contain coating materials or are otherwise formulated to release the nutrients over a period of time as water, heat, or microorganisms break down the material.

• Nitrogen is the nutrient needed in largest quantities as a fertilizer. Nitrogen is annually applied by manufactured fertilizer, organic fertilizers and/or organic soil amendments. Application rates are critical, since too much or too little directly impacts crop growth. Manufactured nitrogen fertilizer can be broadcast and watered in, or broadcast and tilled into the top centimeters of soil. The fertilizer should never be applied in the seed row or root injury will occur. Organic nitrogen fertilizers are typically tilled in or applied in irrigation water.

When a phosphate fertilizer is applied to a soil, the phosphorus is quickly immobilized in the soil profile. It typically moves only about three centimeters. Therefore, it should be tilled into the rooting zone to be most effective. Being immobile, phosphate fertilizer will not leach and become a water pollutant. However, phosphorus in some organic forms, like manure, is less prone to being immobilized. With excessively high applications rates, some leaching could lead to water quality problems. It is possible to incorrectly point to phosphorus farms as the major source of phosphate water pollution in the urban environment. It is important to consider that the phosphorus in fertilizers is very resistant to leaching through the soil profile.

Soil erosion is the most significant source of phosphate pollution in lakes, streams and ponds. Water or wind erosion carries soil with its phosphorus into the surface water.

Potassium levels are naturally adequate or high in most soils. Deficiencies occasionally occur in new gardens low in organic matter and in sandy soils low in organic matter. A soil test is the best method to determine the need for potassium. Excessive potash fertilizer can increase soil salt content. Movement of potassium in soils is dependent on soil texture. As the clay content increases, movement decreases. For most soils, it is important that applied potash be tilled into the root zone. In sandy soils, potassium could leach down past the root zone. Water soluble fertilizers are the standard in greenhouse production where the fertilizer is injected into the irrigation water.

Soluble Granular Fertilizers

• Unlike concentrated acids, Farmphoska Super Soluble fertilizers are simple and non-hazardous to use.
• By safely reducing the pH, the performance of the plant may be greatly improved.
• Magnesium, a vital component of vigorous and healthy plant growth, is incorporated in all formulations
• Chelated micro-nutrients provide stable stock solutions and ensure that minor nutrients remain available to the crop throughout its development.
• The incorporation of anti-caking and conditioning agents ensure that Super Soluble fertilizers remain highly soluble and easy to handle without leaving unsightly stains or residues on the plant.

3. TRACE ELEMENTS

Plants take up a number of different elements as food. Some are taken up in much larger quantities than others. Those that are taken up in the largest quantities are called major or primary elements. These are nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K). Then there are the secondary elements. These are calcium(Ca), sulphur (S) and magnesium (Mg).

Finally there are the trace elements (also called micronutrients). These are required in small quantites by the plant, but they are still essential for plant health and production. The trace elements are Copper (Cu), Iron (Fe), Manganese (Mn), Molybdenum (Mo) and Zinc (Zn).

Chelated trace elements

Iron (Fe) is a reactive metal. In concentrated solution it will react with other fertilizer elements, particularly phosphorus (P) to form an insoluble compound. Being insoluble this compound cannot stay dissolved, so it falls out of solution as sediment. To prevent this happening, iron can be chelated. This is a process whereby the iron is incorporated into the structure of an organic acid molecule (a chelating agent). Chemical bonds hold the iron in place within the structure of the chelating agent and prevent it from reacting with other elements. The chelated iron remains available to the plants, so its property as a fertilizer is not impaired.

Chelated iron is therefore a form of iron which can be mixed into a fertilizer solution and it will stay in solution. More than that, when the fertilizer solution is applied to the soil, then a suitable chelate can ensure that the iron stays in the soil solution and is available to the plant for uptake through the roots. Without this the iron can be lost, often being locked into the clay lattice within the soil and rendered unavailable to the plant.

Iron is the most reactive trace element, and the need for chelation is very clear. Other metals, copper (Cu), manganese (Mn) and zinc (Zn) can also be chelated and this ensures that they do not react in any tank mixture, or in the soil, and so remain fully available to the plant. Another important reason to chelate these other metals is that if they are included in a concentrated fertilizer solution as simple sulphates along with chelated iron , there is a tendency for the chelating agent to exchange its hold on the iron with one of these other metals. So the chelate releases the iron, which is then free to react and is lost from the solution. By chelating all these other metals it ensures the stability of the whole fertiliser solution and ensures overall efficient feeding.

Types of chelate

there are many different types and qualities of chelate. There are traditional natural chelates such as citric acid or oxalic acid, and there are complex modern synthetic chelates.

The value of a chelate is determined by:

1. How much metal it can hold in its structure
2. How strongly it holds the metal
3. Resistance to degredation in alkaline conditions

The choice

The choice of chelate is determined by how the product is to be used (soil, water or foliar application) and - especially - the pH levels of the soil or growing medium. There are 3 common chelates used in commercial horticulture, and each has a specific purpose:

All Solufeed Iron chelates are fully compatible with NPK fertilizers.

EDTA e.g. Solufeed Fe 13 EDTA soluble microgranule or Solu-7 liquid

An effective chelate for all reactive metals. Relatively inexpensive. If applied to the leaves there is some useful foliar uptake. Is also effective for inert growing media like peat.  Fe EDTA is stable up to a pH of about 6.5, so it is particularly suitable for glasshouse hydroponic systems where the pH is controlled. The other metals are very stable (up to pH 9) and this is really the only chelate available or needed for Cu, Mn and Zn.


EDDHA e.g. Solufeed Fe6 EDDHA soluble microgranule

Stable up to a pH of 9.0. This is the most stable of all the commonly available iron chelates, and it is the one to choose for use in soil. It has the power to hold iron in the soil solution and keep it available to the plant. Has no foliar uptake, so is only absorbed through the roots. Surprisingly, EDDHA does have a role in glasshouse hydroponic systems, even when the pH of the growing solution never comes close to pH 9.0.  EDDHA is seen as the most stable and available form of iron, and is used to boost iron availability particularly when the temperature is low e.g in early spring when there can be bright sunshine on the leaves, causing a demand for iron, but the hydroponic solution is still quite cold. Since the uptake of iron by the plant is an active process, plants are less able to take up iron if the roots are cold. The ready availability of EDDHA helps to overcome this problem.

There are various forms (isomers) of the EDDHA molecule, and some are better at holding the iron into the structure of the molecule than others. For this reason claims are often made as to the beneficial "ortho-ortho" isomer content of the EDDHA.

There are 2 variant types of EDDHA. These are EDDHSA (sulphate derivative) and EDDHMA (methyl derivative). These variants are similar in characteristics to EDDHA. All are recognized as EU fertilizers according to the regulations.

FARMPHOSKA RANGE OF SUPER SOLUBLE FERTILIZERS

A range of 'super soluble' N.P.K. fertilizers specifically designed for growing systems using a water source containing high levels of bicarbonate ions ('hard' water with a high pH level).

Produced from the highest quality raw materials, to meet strict quality assurance standards, this range is designed to neutralize water pH without the use of concentrated acids.