Sustainable Plant Nutrient Management

How important are the Micronutrients for plants

Micronutrients: No problem, hidden hunger or visibly damaged on young plant parts and consumers? Micronutrients can be difficult for plants to take up in special soil conditions or for some crops […]

Ion charges and secondary (=meso) nutrients: Calcium, Magnesium and Sulphur

The secondary nutrients are Calcium (Ca), Magnesium (Mg, not Mn), and Sulphur (S). They are needed in moderate (=’meso’) amounts compared to macro (N, P, K) and micronutrients. Only Magnesium […]

The importance and management of Phosphorus (P) and Potassium (K) in plant production

Phosphorus Phosphorus (the element P, often called phosphate, e.g., HPO42-). Phosphates are the naturally occurring form of P in minerals and solutions and with mainly H2PO4- in acidic soil solutions and […]

Biological Nitrogen Fixation and seeding Legumes for Soil Fertility

Biological nitrogen fixation: Making soil air into nitrogen-forms plants can use Free-living organisms in the soil can fix small amounts of Nitrogen. Sometimes large amounts can be fixed by bacteria […]

Nitrogen (N): Essential for plant growth and yield but can have high costs to farmers, the environment, and health

Nitrogen (N): Forms, doses, and effects Nitrogen is very important to know well because it is: the nutrient most often deficient and needed in the highest quantity, the most costly […]

Mineral fertilizers (including ash) and sustainability

Many have oversimplified ideas about fertilizer as either good or bad for sustainability, soils, economy, or health. First, many factors and processes are important to understand, even if the terms […]

Nutrient Conservation and Cycling

Soil, nutrient, and water conservation Nutrients can be conserved by reducing erosion, nutrient leaching, nutrient run-off, and burning, and investing in compensating the nutrients lost with the harvested product, nutrient […]

Sustainable Nutrient Management: Introduction to Concept, Strategies, and Principles

Sustainable nutrient management: Essential for farmers, consumers, environment, and climate Wastage of nutrients (Nitrogen and Phosphorus) often damages the environment, has a high economic cost, and causes crop nutrition problems, […]

Sustainable Plant Nutrient Management (SPNM): An overview

What is SPNM, and why is it important? Understanding Sustainable Plant Nutrient Management is important for many reasons. Too little knowledge about the use of plant nutrients contributes to significant […]