Essential Nutrition for Citrus Through Summer Months

We are in prime rainy season here in the Sunshine State and while the trees benefit from this natural irrigation, nutrient demand of N, Ca, and K is still crucial. Fertigation spoon-feeding can be timed throughout these rainy months giving the tree essential fuel and nutrients it needs for fruit development.

Fertigation of key nutrients can also aid in stress reduction. Water stress for example, results in reduced turgor pressure which impacts several key processes in plants including cell division and enlargement. Water stress can lead to smaller leaves and fruit, thereby reducing crop yield and quality. Reduced photosynthesis is one of the first effects of water stress thus reducing the energy available to drive crop growth and yield.

Calcium promotes good root health and growth so the roots are better able to explore the soil to extract all the water that is in the soil. Roots that are calcium-deficient are shorter, thicker, with shortened, root hairs.

Roots with adequate calcium

Roost with insufficient calcium

Soluble Ca and K mitigate heat stress

Humans sweat and the evaporation of water from skin cools us. Thus, our body temperature is 98°F when the air temperature on a hot day may be 108°F. In a similar manner, plant leaves transpire and the evaporation of water from the leaf cools the leaf. Leaves that are transpiring water are usually several degrees cooler than the air around them. Calcium, along with potassium, regulates the opening and closing of the guard cells around the stomates in leaves. Plants that lack sufficient Ca lose the ability to regulate the stomates and plants can become overheated.

Calcium also plays a second key role as part of the communication system in plant by signaling the water stress and triggering plant responses to water stress.

Calcium is required for the active transport of K across guard cell membranes in the stomata. This induces the opening/closing movement of the stomata regulating excessive water loss through transpiration during drought periods.

How can you provide the Ca and K your citrus crop need

YaraTera® NITRAKAL™MAX₁

YaraTera NITRAKAL MAX₁ is a liquid fertilizer designed for fertigation derived from YaraLiva® CN-9® and potassium nitrate. YaraTera NITRAKAL MAX₁ provides a balanced formulation of nitrogen, potassium and calcium that are immediately available for plant uptake.

YaraLiva® Calcium Nitrate

How do you ensure that your crops have all the calcium they need to manage water stress? YaraLiva Calcium Nitrate is the ideal choice to provide your crop with calcium.

YaraLiva products have typically been used early in the spring to provide crops with readily available nitrate-N when soil and air temperatures are cool. However, the soluble calcium in YaraLiva fertilizers also plays a key role in helping crops overcome environmental stresses such as heat, water, salinity and sodicity. YaraLiva Calcium Nitrate needs to be part of your season-long fertilizer program in order to reach optimal yield and quality.

YaraLiva calcium nitrates provide fast-acting nitrate-N, alongside strength-building calcium. In combination, these nutrients fuel prolonged growth. Plants and trees treated with YaraLiva calcium nitrates are naturally healthier and less sensitive to stress during growth. Then, critically, in the build-up to harvest, YaraLiva calcium nitrate fertilizers improve the size, strength and appearance of harvested crops.

Read the latest CompleteCitrus Crop Nutrition Advice