AgroInsights- Foliar Treatments

Jay Castleman, Regional Sales Manager US East

Maximizing yield potential is all about providing soluble nutrient sources through contact with the plant during critical periods of growth, or in other words, empowering the crop.

One such treatment with great ability is Foliar Treatments! Too often, folks need to pay more attention to their ability to influence a crop through timely applications of nutrients applied over the crop. Such treatments allow the grower to support plant function, mitigate stress, and influence yield and crop quality. Most of the time, foliar treatments catalyze most nutrient programs.

I have always spoken of two absolute truths in nutrient utility: the value of a Soluble Nutrient Source and Crop Contact, two features that we can control, and a foliar application is the most efficient use of crop nutrients because of this fact. 

Think about it, where crop nutrients are concerned, everything we apply is done to create an impact on the crop or return on your investment. Well, if you compare the utility of foliar applications versus soil-applied applications or the effect that the soil-applied nutrient generates, the foliar application will win on most occasions.

For example, the impact that we can create with 20 pounds of Phosphorus applied to the soil, you can start with 1 pound of Phosphorus used as a foliar treatment. Along with that same principle, the same impact that you can generate with 6 pounds of Potassium applied to the soil, you can create with 1 pound of Potassium as a foliar treatment. Soluble nutrient making contact!

Beyond the advantage of nutrient utility comes timeliness. Empowering your crop before critical periods of growth can greatly influence such things as yield and quality in row crops. You can add value to such attributes as flavor, processing qualities, and shelf life of fruits and vegetables. 

NACHURS understands the value of foliar applications and has developed several products targeting such benefits. Many of these products are enriched with potassium, and not just any potassium but our NACHURS Bio-K® technology. Bio-K takes advantage of the most soluble form of potassium available in the market and pairs it with an acetate component creating an advanced potassium source.

Potassium plays many roles in crop production. Keep in mind that when it comes to nutrient transport into and throughout the plant, the potassium content within the crop, especially within the Guard Cells of the Stomata in the leaf structures, tremendously influences nutrient uptake. Those guard cells regulate the opening and closing of the cell structures and control, among other things, the process of Transpiration, thus, influencing osmoregulation and the vertical movement of nutrient sources into and throughout the plant. Simply put, good potassium content within the leaf can aid in the uptake of all soil resident nutrient sources. So yes, foliar treatments can not only add nutrient supply from the top but can also improve nutrient uptake through the root systems as well!

NACHURS has developed a full line of foliar products focused on our Bio-K technology, Nitrogen, Ortho Phosphorus, Micronutrients, and performance-enhancing additions such as Fulvic Acid. 

Soluble nutrient sources that make contact and empower your crop for maximum production. For help choosing the right foliar product, contact your local NACHURS dealer or sale representative.