Onion production can be very complicated, especially with so many factors outside of growers’ control. Weather, shallow roots, and insect damage pose a threat to production as abiotic and biotic stressors. The average American consumes about 22 pounds of onions each year, so growers must find a way to produce onions while using fewer resources. Metalosate® gives growers a dependable solution for increasing the health of plants by providing balanced nutrition to help protect plants from these and other stressors.
The Metalosate T.E.A.M. program takes leaf tissue analysis and gives real time and actionable recommendations for the specific field. Each crop needs specific amounts of Primary, Secondary and Micronutrients, the T.E.A.M. analysis takes the crop needs and gives recommendations to maximize these nutrients. All nutrients play a vital role in plant growth. The law of the minimum suggests that even small deficiencies limit the overall effectiveness of the plant (learn more here). Maximizing plant nutrition impacts health, quality and yield of a crop.
In a study of commercial onions, leaf tissue analysis determined a deficiency of calcium, copper and magnesium. One plot received applications of Metalosate Calcium, Metalosate Copper and Metalosate Magnesium while the other maintained the growers’ standard practice. While researchers expected to see an increase in the applied nutrients in these tissues, they also saw an increase in the values of several other nutrients in the treated plot. The interconnected nature of minerals in the nutritional status of the crop indicates that maximizing one can increase effectiveness of others, and therefore may increase return beyond that of just the minerals applied.
The fields treated with Metalosate gave a 7.8 ton per acre advantage, which was a 21 percent increase in total yield weight. It also increased the size of onions as a total giving 240 percent more in the Colossal size onions and 15 percent more in the Jumbo category. This meant more onions at a better market price. The cost of the program resulted in a 55 to one return on investment. The Metalosate program delivered greater yield, quality, and health to grower’s onions. This demonstrates the importance of integrating precision nutrition into onion production. The results can be increased yield, better quality and an improved bottom line. That’s Nutrition Delivered.
Balchem’s agronomist Chad Blackburn knows first-hand the challenges of Onion production. See what he has to say about implementing Metalosate Calcium to maximize onion storage.
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