Without zinc, your crops simply won’t make it. Zinc is a deciding factor in a plant’s ability to photosynthesize, produce chlorophyll, or remain upright.
Zinc (Zn) impacts the activities of over 300 enzymes and is the only element found across all six enzyme classes. Without proper enzyme activity, a plant’s stems and stalks are weak, nitrogen isn’t metabolized, and stomata don’t open and close properly. (1)
US farmers aren’t the only ones with zinc problems. Worldwide, crops are zinc-deficient, resulting in yield loss and decreased nutritional crop value. Numerous factors affect the plant-available zinc in the soil.
- Soil temperature: Cool spring soil slows microbial activity, so Zn is broken down into ionic forms or chelated more slowly.
- Type of soil: Zinc leaches out of sandy soil more rapidly.
- Topsoil loss: Eroded soils have lots of calcium carbonate on the soil surface, Zn is absorbed onto the surface of calcium carbonate and withheld from plants.
- Low mycorrhizal fungi population: A crop rotation that includes monocrops of a few crops (brassicas and betas) that are non-mycorrhizal.
- Levels of other nutrients: Phosphorus especially affects available Zn in the soil.
Increasing organic matter and microbial populations are key to stabilizing plant-available Zn levels. Plants primarily uptake Zn through their root systems, so optimizing root architecture increases all nutrient uptake, including Zn.
Is Your Soil Zinc-Deficient or Toxic?
Too little and your crops suffer, but it’s also possible to get too much of a good thing.
Soil tests are critical to determine if you need additional Zn in your fields. Most agricultural fields have Zn, but until it’s been chelated or ionized by microbes, it’s in a form plants can’t use.
Texture, pH, and the chemical structure of the soil all impact the amount of plant-available Zn in the plant root zone, or rhizosphere.
Zinc solubilizing bacteria found in the plant root zone are active partners to plants in uptaking Zn from the soil to plant tissues. These bacteria chelate the soil Zn through mechanistic processes and stimulate plant growth. (2)
In fields where conventional farming practices of tillage and synthetic chemicals have been the norm for years or decades, the microbial populations are small. In that case, you may need a boost to get Zn in a plant-available form.
Zinc Nano Products for Optimum Plant Growth
Nanotechnology delivers zinc to the plant in a form the plant can use for optimum growth. Nanoparticles have a slight electrical charge that attracts Zn cations. When you apply Zn to your fields, it often gets tied up with other elements and is unavailable for plant uptake.
Adding NanoZn® from Aqua-Yield® to your liquid fertilizer creates greater nutrient uptake efficiency. A plant can take up Zn in its molecular form and immediately use it for enzymatic processes. ST Biologicals delivers our clients the highest quality nano products by partnering with Aqua-Yield.
Give your plants the right amount of Zn this year. Soil tests, tissue testing, and nanotechnology are tools that lead to higher farm profits. Contact us, and one of our team of certified crop consultants will help you determine the right amount of zinc for each of your fields.
Make 2024 the year you improve your soil while improving your bottom line. ST Biologicals is here to help. When soil speaks, we listen.
