Plant Nutrition
Calcium Nutrient Info
Calcium - Quick Facts
- Calcium is essential for cell wall structure and plant strength.
- Calcium is utilized for continuous cell division and formation.
- Calcium promotes uptake and transportation of other nutrients.
- Uptake of Calcium is primarily through the new root hairs and the root tip
- Nitrogen-use efficiency of urea-containing fertilizers is increased with soluble calcium sources such as calcium nitrate
- Form used by plants: Ca+2
Calcium - Role of Nutrient
- Promotes stalk strength and standability.
- Stimulates root and leaf development.
- Improves disease resistance.
- Important in cell wall and membrane construction.
- Plays a vital role in Nitrogen metabolism.
- Critical for receptiveness of pollen and proper pollen tube development.
Calcium - Nutrient in Soil
- Most of the Calcium is absorbed in the new softer tissue root areas.
- Overfertilized plots (excess Mg or K in soil) make it more difficult for roots to take up Ca; too much N stimulates vegetative growth which will take Ca away from fruit.
- Areas with B deficiencies may reduce calcium movement.
Calcium - Deficiency Symptons
- Leaf margins irregular and foliage reflect spotted or chlorotic areas
- Deficiency visible in the storage tissues of fruit causes cells to collapse
- Failure of terminal growth and apical root tip development
- Distortion and reduced size of youngest leaves
- Due to the general immobility of Ca, the parts of the plants with low transpiration capacity, such as young leaves, flowers and fruits are affected mostly by Ca deficiency.
Calcium - Factors Affecting Deficiency
- In higher pH soils, Calcium forms a number of insoluble bonds rendering the Calcium fraction unavailable for plant use (ie. Calcium Carbonate).
- Higher levels of Nitrogen can reduce the availability of Calcium.
- Presence of competing ions can also affect deficiency - calcium competes with other positively charged ions, such as sodium (Na+), potassium (K+), and magnesium (Mg+2), and applying too much of these positively charged ions might decrease calcium uptake by plants.
- High humidity
R3 Agronomic Platform
Roots – The vegetative stage looks to develop vigorous, healthy roots to maximize nutrient acquisition from the soil. The end result is a healthy root rhizosphere.
Reproduce – Supply the essential nutrients at reproduction to help the plant maximize pollen viability, flowering, pollination, seed set and fruit development.
Ripen – Late season nutrition is vital to optimize the nutrient density and quality of the crop.