of farmable land dedicated to organic production (Eurostat, 2015). For those who have not turned to completely organic systems, there has been a considerable uptake of biostimu- lants as a finishing tool, with producers seeking to reduce the legacy of pesticides and agrochemicals prior to harvest.
Learning from other feeding practices Mineral deficiencies in crops is a growing concern, fuelled largely by soil and environmental conditions and typically al- leviated by foliar mineral amendments. In the animal indus- try, mineral supplementation to correct or prevent deficien- cies is common practice, but more recently, there has been a growing appreciation of how mineral form affects bioavaila- bility and animal productivity. The adoption of organic trace minerals (OTMs) over inorganic trace minerals (ITMs) is testa- ment to this, with studies demonstrating improved mineral uptake and reduced waste when OTMs are supplemented to the diet. A key feature of OTMs in animal nutrition is en- hanced stability due to the manner in which the mineral is bound by an organic ligand. As crop mineral deficiencies are readily instigated by a range of abiotic stresses, foliar amend- ments, typically in the form of ITMs, are routinely added to spraying programmes. However, just as in animal nutrition,
may OTMs be a more efficient delivery approach for mineral supplementation in crops?
Not all minerals are created equal In terms of crop nutritional management, micronutrients play a crucial role in plant health and development. Despite their relatively small inclusion rates, research in the area of trace minerals has demonstrated that form and application ap- proach play important roles in uptake efficiency and ulti- mately, crop productivity. There are many forms of minerals currently on the market and are often generically referred to as either inorganic, typically in the form of sulphates or car- bonates, or as organic minerals, whereby a mineral is bound to an organic ligand such as an amino acid.
Mineral form impacts efficacy Manganese (Mn) is an essential plant mineral, with key func- tions in a number of photosynthetic processes. Deficiency in crops is a widespread issue, largely mediated by soil type with sandy, compacted, high organic matter and high pH soils all contributing to the problem. Cereals are particularly suscepti- ble, with significant yields losses reported in cases of both moderate and severe deficiencies. Studies demonstrating
▶ ALL ABOUT FEED | Volume 25, No. 10, 2017 33
Mineral deficien- cies in crops is a growing con- cern, fuelled largely by soil and environmen- tal conditions and typically al- leviated by foliar amendments.
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