Mitigate Effects of Environmental Stresses in Almonds with Calcium Nitrate
10 Reasons Why YaraLiva® CAN-17™ Calcium Nitrate Belongs in your Crop Program
Season after season, growers are faced with a variety of environmental stresses that are simply out of the industries' control. While nature and weather will take their course, with YaraLiva Calcium Nitrate, growers can give their plants and trees the strength needed to protect against environmental stresses such as heat, drought, salinity and excessive sodium.
Mitigates Drought Stress
Crops suffering from water stress are damaged by Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) such as hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and the oxide ion (O2-) that form in response to stress. These ROS compounds damage plant membranes, proteins, and RNA and DNA. Calcium reduces the concentration and activity of these ROS compounds and thereby reduces the damage from water stress.
Mitigates Heat Stress
Heat stress damages plants by what is called “oxidative stress” which is due to the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) such as hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and the oxide ion (O2-). These ROS compounds damage plant membranes, proteins, and RNA and DNA. Calcium application help reduce the formation of these two key ROS species and the damage from heat stress.
Salt Mitigation
Sodium suppresses root growth and calcium helps crop roots overcome the sodium damage. Increasing calcium supply increased root growth at both low and high sodium concentrations.
Improved Plant Uptake
Soil microbes immobilize N from urea and ammoniacal sources. This renders the nitrogen unavailable to the plant to a large extent. Nitrate is the only nitrogen form that is 100% plant available.
Improved Water Balance
Soluble calcium improves soil structure by supporting aggregation and allowing for improved water infiltration. This increases soils’ water storage capacity and improves plant availability.
Promotes Nutrient Availability
Nitrate, being an anion, attracts positively charged cations and helps support plant uptake of additional elements required for optimal plant and crop development.
Improved Root Health
Calcium is involved in many physiological functions including water regulation and stress signaling. Calcium is responsible for sending drought signals from the roots to the upper canopy of the trees which causes the stomata on the leaves to close. Plants required a continuous supply of calcium for root growth. Nut roots do poorly in soils with low levels of calcium. A better root system means better access to nutrients and water.
Promotes Soil Health
Calcium nitrate improves soil bacteria abundance while other N sources reduce populations through acidification of the rhizosphere.
Reduces Shrivel
In this example from Yara’s Incubator Farm, the Baseline program received 200 lb/ac N from UAN-32 in 4 applications. The Modified Program received 100 lb/ac N from UAN-32 and 100 lb/ac N from YaraLiva® CAN-17™ in the 1st and last of four applications. Less stress produced less shrivel at harvest.
Increased Net Profit
In this example from Yara’s Incubator Farm, the Baseline program received 200 lb/ac N from UAN-32 in 4 applications. The Modified Program received 100 lb/ac N from UAN-32 and 100 lb/ac N from YaraLiva® CAN-17® in the 1st and last of four applications. Greater size and less shrivel means greater profitability.
Maximize Nitrogen Potential for Uptake and Utilization
Almond trees are kicking into overdrive. Shoot growth, cell expansion of the kernel, and root development are simultaneously competing for resources. At this point, most of the reserve nitrogen in the trees has been utilized though the nut set stage and growers should have applied approximately 1/3 to 1/2 of estimated nitrogen requirements.
For the remaining nitrogen budget, every effort should be taken to maximize potential for uptake and utilization. To achieve this, we must be aware of total and phenological demand, plant availability of input sources, positive and antagonistic nutrient interactions, and efficacy of delivery infrastructure. If cutbacks are necessary, it is ill-advised to cutback without reviewing where efficiency gains can be achieved. For example, if you are targeting a 3000lb crop, on crop removal alone, the difference between N needs at 70% efficiency vs 90% efficiency is about 64lb N/ac. This improvement in efficiency while simultaneously cutting back on total N applied can help you maintain current yield potential even in these challenging times.
YaraLiva Calcium Nitrate Provides Fast Delivery of Critical Nutrients
Calcium is key throughout the life of the plant, right through to harvest. Roots need calcium for growth and a consistent supply is directly related to early fruit growth, healthy cell division, and the overall strength and health of fruits, vegetables and nut crops. Alongside potassium, nitrogen is the plant nutrient required in greatest quantities. Nitrogen is key for chlorophyll production and plays a major role in cell division, growth of new tissues and root system development.
The preferred form of nitrogen for plant uptake is nitrate, and plants can be susceptible to ammonium-nitrogen toxicity especially in cool wet soils. Higher plants, including many fruit and vegetable species, are especially sensitive to ammonium. Nitrogen sources in the form of urea or ammonium take time to convert to nitrate in the soil, leaving plants vulnerable. With fully soluble calcium and nitrate-nitrogen, YaraLiva products guarantee these critical nutrients are quickly and efficiently available to crops.
Your crop's health relies on calcium
Calcium is an essential component in maintaining the cell wall structure of a plant. Inadequate availability of calcium can increase the susceptibility to diseases.
Calcium solubility is key
The effectiveness of calcium lies in its solubility. Some common sources of Ca fertilizer are not soluble, therefore are not taken up by the plants. YaraLiva Calcium Nitrate provides readily available calcium for optimal plant uptake.
Calcium nitrate encourages root development
Not all nitrogen sources are the same. Research shows that calcium nitrate has a significantly better effect on root development than ammonium nitrate.
Almond, calcium deficient
Healthy almond tree, ready for harvest
Low Carbon Footprint Solutions
Did you know YaraLiva products have a significantly low carbon footprint? Learn more.
Carbon Footprint From Fertilizing Almonds
Greenhouse gas emissions from almond farming arise from field activities such as using fuel for field operations and irrigation water pumping. Crop management operations and harvesting also contribute to the carbon footprint. The manufacturing and use of nitrogen fertilizer can also add a significant amount to this footprint.
Studies from the University of California show that high-frequency fertigation of almonds with YaraLiva calcium nitrate-based fertilizers have lower nitrous oxide emissions from the soil compared with UAN or other ammonium-based fertilizer. 1,2
To meet the recommended application of 68 pounds of nitrogen per 1,000 pounds of nuts, a switch to nitrate-based nutrition can benefit in additional ways too. Nitrate is the preferred source of nutrition for trees in the Rosacea plant family, including almonds. Additionally, nitrate fertilization avoids the undesirable soil acidification that inevitably occurs when fertilizing with ammonium or urea.
1 Schellenberg, D.L., Alsina, M.M., Muhammad, S., Stockert, C.M., Wolff, M.W., Sanden, B.L., Brown, P.H., Smart, D.R. Yield-scaled global warming potential from N2O emissions and CH4 oxidation for almond (Prunus dulcis) irrigated with nitrogen fertilizers on arid land. Agric. Ecosyst. Environ. 2012, 155, 7–15.
2 Wolff, M.W., Hopmans, J.W., Stockert, C.M., Burger, M., Sanden, B.L., Smart, D.R. Effects of drip fertigation frequency and N-source on soil N2O production in almonds. Agric. Ecosyst. Environ. 2016, 238, 67–77.
