Foliar Fertilization of Crop Plants: Current State of Knowledge and Perspectives
A special issue of Agronomy (ISSN 2073-4395). This special issue belongs to the section "Horticultural and Floricultural Crops".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2019) | Viewed by 21379
Special Issue Editor
Interests: plant nutrient physiology; basic and applied aspects of plant nutrition; fertilizer use; recycling of nutrients; biostimulants
Special Issue Information
Dear colleagues,
Foliar fertilization at the first glance sounds controversial as it means applying nutrients to an organ which was not designed for nutrient uptake rather than limiting water losses and penetration of unwanted substances and organisms. Nevertheless, it may help to overcome temporary or permanent constraints in the supply of certain nutrients to crops, especially so for microelements which often are tightly bound in a not available form. It may help as well to overcome shortages when the root activity is impeded by e.g. cold soils, drought or unbalanced nutrient supply/salinity.
There has been much progress made in understanding the pathways for foliar nutrient uptake, even though there are still gaps in our understanding of all the underlying processes. It is imperative, too, to search for nutrient compounds and fertilizer preparations which optimize the amount of nutrient made available via the leaves or fruits, avoid damages like scorching when applied to the foliage, do not negatively interfere with the water balance of the plants, and help to translocate the nutrients to the organs which are truly in need for it. There are new ways of formulating nutrients which might help to provide a balanced and long-term nutrient supply via the foliage without causing damages.
Furthermore there is as a need to optimize both timing as well as technologies for foliar application of nutrients, tailoring the application to get the highest benefit from the foliar fertilizers.
Prof. Dr. Heiner E Goldbach
Guest Editor
Keywords
- distribution and penetration of nutrients after foliar application
- underlying processes and factors controlling the route of applied nutrients
- translocation/distribution of nutrients after foliar application
- new chemical formulae for foliar fertilizers including nanotechnology
- adjuvants and amendments for foliar fertilization
- success and limits of foliar fertilization
- timing of foliar fertilizer application for annual and perennial crops
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