By Dusty Sonnenberg, CCA, Ohio Field Leader, a project of the Ohio Soybean Council and soybean check-off.
Macronutrients can impact micronutrients. Carbon is a key macronutrient.
“Carbon is probably the most limiting element in our soils,” said Hoorman. “It takes 100 pounds of carbon each day to produce a 200 bushel per acre corn crop. This carbon used by plants comes from the both the atmosphere and the soil. The carbon cycle occurs in both the plant and the soil. During photosynthesis plants take in CO2 from the atmosphere into the leaves and give off O2. Roots take in O2 from the soil and give off CO2 back into the soil. When soils are tilled in the fall, there is a loss of soil carbon in the form of CO2. This is carried away, and not available to the growing crops.”
Nitrogen (N) is another important macronutrient.
“Every 1% organic matter contains 1,000 pounds of Nitrogen,” Hoorman said. “We are only between 30% to 50% efficient at keeping the N in the soil. Because of denitrification due to poor soil structure we can lose up to 60% of the N. We can lose 20% to 30% of the N by leaching. It is similar with Phosphorus (P). Poor soil structure makes us only 10-50% efficient with Phosphorus. About 50% to 70% of the P is tied up in organic matter. About 90% can run-off during the most intense rainfall events. Of that P loss, about 30% is lost due to surface erosion, and the other 70% is leaching down through the tile water. This is lost due to poor soil structure and the...
Read Full Story: https://ocj.com/2021/12/soil-health-micronutrients-and-macronutrients-part2/
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