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COPYRIGHT 2005 Adams Business Media
When discussing foliar absorbed nutrients several concepts need to be clarified. The first concept one needs to understand is that the "non-root" parts of plants can and will take up nutrients from nutrient sprays and other applications. This concept has been shown over a long period of time by many researchers.
Foliar absorption of mineral nutrients by above ground plant parts including leaves stems and flowers have been reported for more than 200 years. Interest however has been mainly since the 1950's. This interest has grown over the years because of the increased costs of fertilizers, environmental concerns about leaching and runoff, a better understanding of how to facilitate the absorption process and a better understanding of plant growth. Minor element deficiencies in fruit have been corrected by foliar applications for 80 to 90 years. More recently over the last 40 years or so, foliar absorption of the macronutrients has also been studied extensively. It is now known that not only nutrients can be absorbed but also pesticides, growth regulators, organic acids and many carbohydrates.
Among the advantages to foliar absorbed nutrients include the fact that they can be rapid and effective, with quick plant response. Because they are so effective they require less fertilizer input by avoiding soil fixation, leaching, and runoff. They are applied to the...
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