The leading role in forming the yield of all crops belongs to nitrogen, which on practically all soils is the first limiting factor. Supplying this nutrient is the most important component of the technology. The column of air above one hectare of surface contains 80 thousand tonnes of nitrogen, yet only legumes can assimilate it, thanks to symbiosis with bacteria. Symbiotic nitrogen fixation is a very important process in the nitrogen cycle in nature and in the life of the planet's biosphere as a whole.
The mineral nutrition conditions of legume plants have a significant effect on nitrogen fixation, because nodule bacteria receive macro- and microelements and carbohydrates from the host plant.
Among the elements that influence the process of symbiotic nitrogen fixation by legumes are nitrogen, molybdenum and boron. Research has established that the higher the content of available nitrogen forms in the soil, the harder it is for bacteria to penetrate the root, and consequently fewer nodules form on the roots and their activity is low.
The supply of phosphorus to legume plants is of great importance for nitrogen fixation; with a low phosphorus content in the soil nodules may not form at all. Among microelements, molybdenum and boron are especially important. Molybdenum shortage inhibits nodule formation, disrupts the synthesis of free amino acids and leghemoglobin, and plants synthesize fewer of the enzymes nitrate and nitrite reductase, which are responsible for converting nitrogen forms in the plant. With boron shortage, vascular bundles do not form in the nodules, as a result of which the development of the nodules themselves is disrupted.
How to help plants?
To supply plants with nutrients at the start of symbiotic nitrogen fixation, which begins at the 2–3 true (trifoliate) leaf stage, we recommend using the organo-mineral fertilizer ECOLINE Molybdenum (Complex) 1.0 l/ha. This fertilizer contains molybdenum in the form of a phosphorus-molybdenum complex compound, which considerably raises the uptake of both elements thanks to their synergy.
In this year's weather conditions, of the boron products it is better to use ECOLINE BORON (Premium) 1.0 l/ha, a liquid fertilizer in the form of an organic complex of boron with monoethanolamine and amino acids, or ECOLINE Boron (Opti), containing boron, molybdenum and zinc, at 1.0–1.5 l/ha.
