Fertilization of cereals

Cereals are crops that include wheat, rye, barley, oats, corn and rice, among others. They are crops that are used very widely primarily in the food industry, being an integral part of everyone’s daily diet. In addition, they are the main direction of agricultural production in Poland. Cereals are also used, among other things, for the production of biofuels and renewable energy. In order to obtain high yields of cultivated cereals, we should use a properly selected fertilization program.
Most Polish arable soils are poor in the forms of phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, sulfur available to plants. With each grain yield of 3 tons of grain and 5.5 tons of straw per hectare, we take out of the field about 85 kg of nitrogen, 40 kg of phosphorus, 100 kg of potassium, 30 kg of calcium, 20 kg of magnesium and 20 kg of sulfur. A prerequisite for achieving high yields that are valuable in terms of consumption, fodder and technology is therefore the use of good multicompound fertilizers of proven quality and composition adapted to specific soil conditions.

All grain crops respond strongly to nitrogen fertilization. A deficiency of nitrogen in the soil makes plants pale, grow slowly and tiller poorly, develop small ears with small, poorly formed grain. In agricultural practice, over-application of this nutrient often takes place, manifesting itself in dark coloration, too luxuriant growth and strong tillering of cereals. Such a condition is particularly unfavorable in the case of winter forms, as their resistance to frost then decreases. In spring and summer, excessive elongation of stalks can be observed, promoting lodging and the occurrence of cereal rust and powdery mildew. The maturation period of overfertilized cereals is prolonged.

Plants insufficiently supplied with phosphorus are small, low, dark green and do not tiller. A purplish red coloration appears on older leaves, after which the leaves shrivel, taking on a dark brown color. Cereals develop small ears, containing poorly filled grains.

A lack of potassium in cereals manifests itself in a wilted plant habit and a grayish-blue color. Older leaves are wavy, yellowing at the top and edges, while the main nerve remains green for a long time. The ears are small, the grain small and wrinkled.

Symptoms of magnesium deficiency include beading or striping of oat and rye leaves, meaning uneven distribution of green pigment between the innervation. In wheat and barley, a symptom of magnesium deficiency is severe chlorosis of the oldest leaves involving at first the top and edges of the leaf, and then the entire surface, on which rusty, drying spots appear simultaneously.

Oats and wheat growing on sandy or peaty soils are particularly sensitive to copper deficiency. Symptoms of a lack of this element have been dubbed the so-called reclamation disease. A few weeks after emergence, the tops of older leaves turn white, while young leaves twist and die off severely, failing to reach the right size and shape. The entire stalk, including the panicle (oats) or ear (wheat, rye), is pale green and deformed. With weaker copper deficiency, cereals are slow-growing, have striped leaves and ears filled with fine offal.

The characteristic symptoms of manganese deficiency most often appear as grayish-brown or light streaks between the innervations in the center of the leaf blade (known as gray spotting). The spots then enlarge and merge together. The affected tissue dies off after some time and becomes brittle, causing the leaves to bend and look broken. These symptoms are found most often in oats, less often in other cereals.