In the latest soft fruit update, agronomist Neil Holmes, discusses assessing autumnal plant demand for trace elements in fruiting crops
Deficiency Trends
Bud development in blueberry and stone fruit crops progresses during autumn and these crops require optimal trace elements (TE) to prepare the crop for winter and to ensure that the buds are ready to burst in spring.
The OMEX SAP laboratory has already identified manganese (Mn) and zinc (Zn) deficiencies in several blueberry plantations, allowing the grower enough time to apply a foliar feed whilst the crop is still in-leaf and there is a target to hit. Leaving sampling and analysis too late reduces the time window when an effective nutrient plan can be followed before the crop begins to senesce.
Symptoms of Mn deficiency include interveinal chlorosis, shoot dieback and necrosis of the leaf margin. Zinc deficiency causes a uniform yellowing of young leaves.
Correcting Nutrient Deficiency
Correcting an individual deficiency with the Folex range of products is simple and very affordable, whilst a wide-ranging TE deficiency is best corrected with Micromex (see table).
Micromex contains all 6 trace elements required for growth and is nitrogen-free which avoids promoting soft tissue growth that could be susceptible to frost damage.
Read more about Micromex!
Monitoring Crops
To determine if your crop is in need of a top-up trace element foliar treatment, consider taking a SAP sample and where appropriate, a substrate sample and compare the results to reference values.
For more information on the OMEX range of products please contact your regional OMEX horticultural advisor, here.
