Calcium – The Master Nutrient
Monday 22 January 2018
Calcium – The Master Nutrient
The importance of calcium is often underestimated in agriculture. And mistakenly so, because it forms an integral part of plant nutrition and soil health. I will address some of the key ways it can increase crop productivity and quality below:
- Calcium has been termed “the trucker of all elements” by master consultant Gary Zimmer, because it sponsors the uptake of most other minerals into the plant. For example, studies in the American Mid-West demonstrated soil applied lime and humic acid blends increased phosphorus into potato crops more than straight soluble phosphorus applications! And it’s not just phosphorus. Calcium allows plant tissues to better absorb and hold all minerals. So if your soils are lacking calcium, you can be sure your crop will not be maximizing the potential of other soil minerals.
- Calcium binds soil colloids, creating open pore spaces for air to move freely through the root zone. With more oxygen, plant root growth is stimulated, and benefic aerobic microbes thrive. The added microbe activity and increased root growth equals more plant available soil nutrients.
- Calcium is a major component of plant cell walls (Pectins), and without adequate levels the plant cannot grow properly. If you pump a crop with N-P-K inputs, and calcium is lacking, then growth potential will be hindered. Adequate calcium levels should be maintained with inputs of these elements to optimize productivity.
- Calcium provides plant cell strength. As plant cell strength increases, the plant will be more resilient to insect and pathogen attack. In an article published in the Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture in 2003, a researcher demonstrated the link between adequate soil calcium levels and the incidence of disease in NQ banana crops. Of 10 sites that tested for adequate calcium, only 1 reported a high disease score. Of the 40 sites that did not meet adequate calcium criteria, 34 reported high disease scores.
Calcium tips
- No man is an island, and the same can be said for mineral nutrition. When it comes to calcium, two other elements to consider are boron and silicon:
- Boron
- Boron is deficient in the majority of Australian soils, and because it is an anion it leaches out of the soil very easily. Boron is shown to be directly related to the efficient uptake of calcium into plants, and so when applying lime it is also important to apply boron to sponsor calcium uptake..
- Silica
- Silica builds the nutrient pathways within the plant, and as calcium is one of the least mobile elements in agriculture, good plant silica levels will greatly help with uptake. Armosil Max can be included with Ozcal, OzcalMag and Ozgyp applications to help maximise the potential of these inputs.
- Boron
Conclusion
Advantage Agriculture provide a range of quality granular soil amendments with slow release calcium. In situations of low soil Ph and low soil calcium, Ozcal is the best option. If the soil pH is low, and you need to boost calcium and magnesium levels, then OzcalMag is the most appropriate product to use. Ozgyp is good for soils with high magnesium levels, elevated pH, and/or high levels of sodium. For advice more specific to your operation, please contact your local Advantage Agriculture dealer, or else get in contact the Advantage Agriculture Agronomist:
Brian Foster
Mobile: 0439 134 209
Email: brian.foster@nutrifert.com.au
