Nitrogen deficiency could decrease yield by accelerated fruit ripening
Nitrogen is a macronutrient that could be found from 2.4 to 4.0 percent of a mature strawberry plant and is obtained naturally by symbiotic and soil fixation.
The plant absorbs most of the nitrogen as nitrate and to a lesser extent as ammonium. The presence of nitrogen is related to their biomass because it is necessary for the photosynthesis process. Absorption is conditioned to PH, temperature, and the water supply. It is characterized by large amounts of energy incorporated into the plant’s metabolism, carrying out inverse transformations that occurring in the soil to synthesize amino acids and other nitrogen compounds. Low availability of nitrogen affects the growth and the development of the plant and will manifest with yellow leaf color and in case of severe deficiency could turn purple and orange color at the edges. The older leaves are the first ones to show symptoms and flowering is affected significantly.
Nitrogen deficiency could decrease yield by accelerated fruit ripening. The leaf surface could decrease markedly, the buds take time to open, the young shoots do not grow, and the fruits are small. The high mobility of nitrogen in the soil could be lost in different ways such as denitrification, precipitation, leaching, etc.
Excessive amounts of nitrogen could cause succulent plants, poor roots development, and extensive aerial development. The leaves turn dark green and ripening is delayed. The fruit exhibits thick skin, low juice percentage. The growth of the plants is accelerated and quickly uses other available elements; in addition, it presents greater susceptibility to diseases and abiotic factors such as droughts and frosts.
A good strawberry fertilizer program should be based on both characteristics of the plantation and on the data provided by the analysis of leaves, soil, and irrigation water. Tissue analysis is the most appropriate method to diagnose the nutritional status of the plantation and evaluate the availability of plant reserves. The soil analysis provides complementary information on the characteristics of the soil that affect the behavior of the fertilizers and the availability of nutrients assimilable by the plant. The analytical data of the irrigation water allow evaluating its quality and content in mineral salts.
The results of water, tissue, and soil analyses will give us a clear understanding of nutrient elements found in irrigation water and soil, elements that plants are absorbing correctly, the existence of antagonisms between ions or other interferences that impede absorptions of some nutrients.
Crop Nutritional Monitoring in strawberry fields
At AGQ Labs we have been working for more than 25 years in the continual monitoring of plant needs at any given time. In a practical and dynamic manner, throughout the growing season, we monitor the crop’s needs for water and nutrients, in order to adjust the irrigation and fertilizer regime to that demand.
Moreover, with such monitoring, we achieve a sustainable agricultural practice because there is no leaching that contaminates the aquifers or harms the soil structure. The result is:
- Minimization of environmental impacts
- Optimization of nutritive irrigation
- Better quality product
- Important savings in fertilizer costs
- Greater productivity and larger yields
To accomplish this, we have developed an internal Crop Nutritional Monitoring procedure, based on analyzing soil solutions extracted using our patented suction probes. At all times, our guarantee is based on the know-how gained by AGQ Labs over the course of our history.
Through our continual efforts, we have reached optimal reference values for the major crops. Our agronomists from around the world are experts in the interpretation of all this information, thus contributing the greatest value in matters of irrigation and nutrition.
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