Tissue test crops ahead of winter
Tissue testing crops is generally done in the spring, but growers should consider its value this side of winter.
Following the turbulent weather throughout this year, it’s likely we’ll see soils lacking in nutrients that we aren’t used to seeing deficiencies in.
So, combining both soil sampling and tissue testing ahead of winter means growers can get the full picture of what’s in their soil and available to the plant.
For example, magnesium is the most leachable large cation, meaning most soils will be lacking, after this year’s wet weather.
Our combined tissue sample results have shown that over the past three years magnesium levels in UK cereal crops have been consistently low, with 68 per cent of samples in 2018 showing magnesium deficiency and 74 per cent in 2020.
It is not just about what the soil is lacking but how different factors can affect the uptake of certain nutrients, meaning that crops can be deficient even when the nutrients are present.
The weather, soil conditions, water levels, soil temperatures and even the relationships between nutrients themselves can all have an impact on the plant’s ability to take up key nutrients.
Chris Bond is a crop nutrition specialist with agricultural sciences company FMC
