Soil Application or Foliar, What's best for the Indian Farmer ?

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Crop Seminar Agenda 09-Jan-2012

Presented by :Mr. Purvish DiwanjiManaging DirectorSatyajit Chemicals Pvt Ltd

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Soil Application or Foliar ? What’s best for the Indian Farmer ?

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Solid Fertilizer

(Soil Application)

Broadcasting• Top Dressing

• Basal application

Placement• Plough sole

• Deep placement• Localized

Band Placement

• Hill• Row

Pelllet Application

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What factors affect The Soil ?

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SoilNutrient Interactions

Type

pH

Temperature

Texture

Aggregate size

Water Holding Capacity

Organic Matter

Content

Cation Exchange Capacity

Latitude/Slope

Aeration

Nutrient Mobility

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Soil pH

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Soil Texture

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Nutrient Interactions in Soil

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• Nitrogen Phosphorus• Potassium Magnesiumvery mobile

• Copper Iron• Manganese Molybdenum• Sulfur Zinc

moderately mobile

• Calcium• Boronimmobile

Nutrient Mobility in Soil

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Nutrient Mobility in Plants

Nutrient Mobility in Soils

• Nitrate Nitrogen• Sulfate Sulfur Boronvery mobile

• Ammonium Nitrogen• Calcium Molybdenum• Magnesium Potassium

moderately mobile

• Organic Nitrogen• Phosphorus Manganese• Copper Iron Zinc

immobile

• Nitrogen Phosphorus• Potassium Magnesiumvery mobile

• Copper Iron• Manganese Molybdenum• Sulfur Zinc

moderately mobile

• Calcium• Boronimmobile

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What is Foliar Application of Fertilizers ?

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Liquid Fertilizer

Starter Solutions Foliar

Application

FertigationInjection

to soilAerial

Application

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Why Foliar Application ?

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• To correct any nutrient deficiency in a standing crop

• To maintain optimum level of a particular nutrient

• To give a crop the nutritional boost at a critical juncture in life

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What are the factors affecting Foliar Application ?

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Foliar Application

Right Source

Right Rate

Right Timing

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How does Foliar Application work ?

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Leaf Transversal Section

The cuticle is a waxy layer covering all the aerial parts of the plant. While the cuticle consists of basically fatty acids

and is mostly impermeable, there however exist intermolecular spaces or holes in it.

Certain water-loving chemical radicals are also present in the cuticle

Stomata are minute pores present in large numbers on the leaves. Their main function is to control the absorption of

gases (CO2), release of O2 and water vapour.

The stomata thus also allow the passage of nutrient bearing solutions into the plant body.

Entry through STOMATA and CUTICLECuticle

Water Water + Nutrient

Stomatal Pore

Phloem

Xylem

Stomatal Cavity

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What are the advantages of Foliar over Soil Application ?

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UTILIZATION OF APPLIED QUANTITY More than 90% fertilizer is utilized by the plant when applied in Foliar form. When a similar amount of fertilizer is applied in the soil, the plant utilizes only 10%

TRANS-LOCATION WITHIN THE PLANT95% of the foliar fed nutrient solution can be found in the smallest root within 60 minutes if conditions are right

FERTILIZER EFFICACY IN SANDY LOAM SOILSIn sandy loam soils, foliar applied fertilizers are up to 20 times more effective when compared to soil applied fertilizers

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Nutrient Crop Foliar Soil Reference

Zn-Sulfate Annual 1 12 Lingle & Holmberg (1956)

Phosphorus Tomatoes 1 20 Wittwer, et al (1957)

Fe-Sulfate Grain 1 25 Withee & Carlson (1959)

Mg-Sulfate Grain 1 100 Krantz (1962)

COMPARATIVE EFFICACY ( Soil v/s Foliar )

Approximate ratios of amounts required for comparable response

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How to identify Nutrient Deficiency in leaves ?

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Old & mature leaves

Chlorosis

Uniform over leaf, small leaves

Nitrogen

Sulphur if symptoms also on young leaves

Interveinal or blotchy Magnesium

Necrosis

Tip or edge scorch, interveinal

yellowing/browningPhosphorous

Interveinal or bloctchy, varying shades of color

Magnesium

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Young leaves

Chlorosis

Uniform over leafSulphur,

Iron

Leaf edges purple, interveinal

yellowing, cuppingSulphur

Interveinal or blotchy

Zinc, Manganese, Iron, Copper

Necrosis

Interveinal blotches and leaf edge

scorchingCalcium

Yellow to brown interveinal areas,

red to purple, curled, torn leaves

Boron

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A fertile soil is not necessarily a productive soil