Foliar feeding has firmly entered the technology of growing crops as the fastest and most effective way to make up for the deficiency of plant nutrients, increase yields and product quality. There are now hundreds of offers of various fertilizers on the market - ranging from simple salts and humates, various microelement deficiency correctors in the form of liquid and water-soluble forms based on synthetic chelates, to fertilizers with a stimulating effect based on amino acids and growth regulators.
In 2006, the Agroliga of Russia group of companies was the first in Russia to register fertilizers based on free amino acids of plant origin from the Spanish manufacturer Agritecno. Fertigrain Foliar, a foliar fertilizer for field crops, seemed to us the most interesting and in demand on the market. Already 15 years have passed, the range of fertilizers has expanded significantly, numerous competitive offers have appeared, but our forecasts have been fully confirmed - Fertigrain Foliar (Plus under new registration) is the most popular product among our customers throughout Russia.
Fertigrain Foliar used on almost all field crops: cereals, corn, sunflower, sugar beets, soybeans, legumes, perennial grasses, etc. The main criterion for efficiency is the increase in yield - for example, for cereals it is an average of 2-6 q/ha. The composition of the fertilizer allows it to be used as a complex mineral supplement, preventively compensating for a possible deficiency of microelements, as well as a stimulant and antistress agent, due to the action of free amino acids of plant origin.
As evidence of the compositional advantage of Fertigrain Foliar over dry water-soluble fertilizers, which are also used by many farms for foliar application, mainly focusing on their more affordable, at first glance, price, we present a comparative analysis of some of the most popular brands of chelated fertilizers (NPK + micro) from Russian and foreign manufacturers (Table 1).
Comparison of compositions of Fertigrain Foliar Plus and complex water-soluble chelated foliar fertilizers from different manufacturers.
Indicators | Fertigrain Foliar Plus | Competitor 1 | Competitor 2 | Competitor 3 | Competitor 4 | Competitor 5 | Competitor 6 | |
g / l | g/kg | |||||||
Preparative form | liquid | Water soluble powder (or granules) | ||||||
organic matter | 500,0 | |||||||
Total amino acids | 125,0 | |||||||
Including L-free | 100,0 | |||||||
macro elements | Nitrogen (N) total, including: | 62,5 | 170,0 | 210,0 | 60,0 | 200,0 | 200,0 | 180,0 |
Phosphorus (P2O5) | — | 170,0 | 110,0 | 230,0 | 200,0 | 200,0 | 180,0 | |
Potassium (K2O) | — | 170,0 | 210,0 | 350,0 | 200,0 | 200,0 | 180,0 | |
meso elements | Sulfur (SO3) | 70,4 | 138,0 | 39,0 | ||||
Magnesium (Mg) | 20,0 | 10,0 | 30,0 | |||||
Micro elements | Zinc (Zn) | 9,38 | 0,35 | 0,15 | 2,0 | 0,5 | 0,8 | 0,1 |
Manganese (Mn) | 6,25 | 1,0 | 0,5 | 2,0 | 0,8 | 1,1 | 0,5 | |
Boron (B) | 1,25 | 0,28 | 0,2 | 1,0 | 0,4 | 0,6 | 0,2 | |
Copper (Cu) | 1,25 | 0,5 | 0,1 | 2,0 | 0,3 | 0,4 | 0,1 | |
Iron (Fe) | 1,25 | 1,0 | 1,0 | 0,5 | 1,2 | 1,6 | 1,0 | |
Molybdenum (Mo) | 0,13 | 0,1 | 0,1 | 0,02 | 0,1 | 0,2 | 0,1 | |
Cobalt (Co) | 0,25 | |||||||
Total Trace Elements | 19,76 | 3,23 | 2,02 | 7,52 | 3,30 | 4,7 | 2,0 | |
Multiplicity of dosage by trace elements in relation to Fertigrain Foliar Plus | 1,0 | 6,1 | 9,8 | 2,6 | 6,0 | 4,2 | 9,9 |
By putting the composition of the fertilizer you use in this table, you can easily calculate its pros and cons. Pay attention to the comparison in terms of the content of microelements: in Fertigrain Foliar, their content is several times higher (from 2,6 to 10), that is, for a comparable application in quantity, at least 3 times less dosage will be required. And taking into account the fact that the assimilation of nutrients from amino acid complexes through the leaf occurs many times faster, then the coefficient of their use increases many times (see Table 2).
Table 2
Time of assimilation by plants of 50% of nutrients during foliar feeding
Element | Salts and oxides | Synthetic chelates | Amino acid complexes | |
Nitrogen | N | 1-6 | 1-6 | < 12 min. |
Phosphorus | P | 15 days | 7-11 days | < 2 h |
potassium | K | 4 days | 2 days | < 1 h |
Calcium | Ca | 6 days | 3 days | < 2 h |
Magnesium | Mg | 5 hours | 1 hours | < 1 h |
Sulfur | S | 12 days | 8 days | < 2 h |
Hardware | Fe | 2 days | 24 hours | < 2 h |
Manganese | Mn | 2 days | 24 hours | < 3 h |
Bor | B | 2 days | х | < 2 h |
Zinc | Zn | 3 days | 26 hours | < 2 h |
Molybdenum | Mo | 2 days | х | < 2 h |
Now some manufacturers of water-soluble fertilizers add special substances to the composition in order to keep the fertilizer on the leaf longer until the plant absorbs the nutrients as fully as possible. But which is better? Wait, worrying that the rain will wash everything off the leaf, or be sure that 1-2 hours after the application, the plant has already received everything that was given to it?
Water-soluble fertilizers based on synthetic chelates (EDTA, DTPA, succinic acid and others) were originally developed not for foliar application, but for application with irrigation - fertigation and hydroponics, in order to improve solubility compared to salt forms of fertilizers, reduce the binding of nutrients into indigestible connections and prolongation of their action. Their use as foliar dressings was a good decision not for agronomists, but for marketers. That is why they are based on NPK macroelements, the introduction of which in relatively small dosages through the leaf still cannot significantly compensate for their need by the plant.
Fertigrain Foliar contains only a little nitrogen from the main nutrients, and the plant receives phosphorus and potassium from the main soil fertilizer through the root by activating the absorption capacity of the root system due to the action of free amino acids. Therefore, the argument in favor of water-soluble chelated fertilizers due to the presence of NPK in them does not sound entirely convincing.
An additional advantage of Fertigrain Foliar over water-soluble chelated fertilizers in their preparative form is that all Agritecno fertilizers are liquid, that is, there is no problem with solubility in principle. But in the case of dry forms, a problem may arise, unless, of course, a centralized solution unit is used on the farm. For example, top dressing of winter crops is usually applied together with herbicides when the water temperature is still not high enough and it is very problematic to dissolve 2-4 kg/ha in cold water, especially when working with a reduced flow rate of the working solution (50-100 l/ha or even less). In the case of the use of Agritecno fertilizers, such problems do not arise, some farms even use ULV.
We summarize the benefits of using Fertigrain Foliar leaf fertilizer:
- Biostimulating and anti-stress effect due to free amino acids;
- The most balanced and concentrated trace element composition;
- High plant penetration rate and high digestibility;
- Convenient liquid formulation;
- Compatible in tank mixes with pesticides, no additional application costs;
- Lack of phytotoxicity for plants;
- Increasing yields, improving product quality.
Fertigrain Foliar is recommended to be used in the phases of the most intensive plant growth at a dosage of 0,5 to 2 l / ha: cereals - tillering and the beginning of heading, corn - 3-5 leaves, sunflower - 4-6 leaves, sugar beet - 4-6 leaves and then 2-3 times with an interval of 10-14 days, soybean: 2-3 trifoliate leaves, flax - "Christmas tree", etc.
Currently, Agritecno fertilizers are represented by more than 30 fertilizers from several lines: Fertigrain, Tekamin, Teknokel, Controlfit and Teknofit pH. You can find more information about the application schemes of Fertigrain Foliar and other Agritekno fertilizers, as well as the results of their application, on the website of the Agroliga of Russia Group of Companies. www.agroliga.ru
For purchase or additional consultations, please contact your nearest branch of the Agroliga company. Do not try to purchase this product from another supplier - the Agroliga of Russia Group of Companies has an exclusive for the sale of this product on the territory of our country!