Philip Bradshaw ponders the value of micro-nutrients

Farmer Focus – Philip Bradshaw

This season’s spring work has been a bit rushed for me, as I spent the first couple of weeks of March laid up with proper flu, enhanced by a nasty chest infection. This means we have had to work hard since to catch up, but unfortunately my office tasks are still backed up even more than usual!

The sugar beet has been precision drilled into good seed-beds, and should grow nicely, but like all crops it will need some rain soon. We are also establishing the carefully-located extra HLS options such as wild bird seed and pollen and nectar mix.

The oilseeds are growing ridiculously fast, and we had to quickly get the second nitrogen applied before it got too tall.

To improve oilseed yields, we apply various micro nutrients through the growing season. This is a proven strategy for us, and has probably an even greater benefit in these drier seasons.

It was while considering the use of foliar-applied nutrients that a thought occurred. Through the winter and spring we as an industry scrutinise other plant protection products, particularly fungicides, to extreme lengths. We learn about doses, adjuvant choice, nozzle choice, physiological efficacy, compatibility and more. This is good, but why do we not have similar consideration for crop nutrition products to the same level? Are all the micro nutrient products the same quality, are some better than others? Do they differ in efficiency of uptake and how compatible are they?

Through my work growing various yield blocks and trials I am pleased to have seen firsthand the results from some nutrient products, and have an improved understanding of the best application practice for many of them. However, I remain surprised that we do not as an industry consider the foliar nutrition products on offer, and how we apply them, in more depth.