The role of phosphate fertilizer and matters needing attention

What is the role of phosphate fertilizer?

Phosphorus is an essential nutrient element for the growth and development of crops. Phosphorus deficiency in crops is not as harmful as nitrogen deficiency. When phosphorus deficiency occurs, various metabolic processes of crops are inhibited. Mainly manifested in: slow plant growth, short plants, severely suppressed underground parts; dark green leaves, dull or purplish red, and gradually die off from the lower leaves; the stems are small, woody, and the roots are not developed; the main roots are elongated, There are few or no secondary roots and branches; few flowers, few fruits, and late ripening of fruits, prone to bald tip, pod-dropping or flower-dropping; seeds are small but not full, and thousand-grain weight decreases. Phosphate fertilizers required for normal growth and development of crops must be supplemented in time to achieve high crop yields.

What happens if I overdo it?

1. Excessive application of phosphate fertilizer will cause the crop to absorb too much phosphorus nutrition from the soil, and promote the respiration of the crop to be too vigorous. The dry matter consumed is greater than the accumulated dry matter, which causes the early development of the reproductive organs, which causes the crop to mature early and the grains are small. ,Low Yield.

2. It will cause zinc in the soil to interact with excess phosphorus, and produce zinc phosphate precipitation that crops cannot absorb, causing crops to appear obvious symptoms of zinc deficiency; after excessive application of calcium magnesium phosphate fertilizers and other alkaline phosphate fertilizers, the soil is alkalized, causing zinc damage The effectiveness is reduced, which in turn affects the absorption of zinc by crops.

3. It will cause silicon in the soil to be fixed and cannot be absorbed by crops, causing silicon deficiency, especially for grass crops that like silicon. For example, if rice cannot absorb more silicon from the soil, it will Symptoms of silicon deficiency, such as slender stalks, lodging and poor disease resistance, occur.

4. Appropriate application of phosphate fertilizer will promote the absorption of molybdenum by crops, while excessive application of phosphate fertilizer will cause the balance of phosphorus and molybdenum to be out of balance and affect the absorption of molybdenum by crops, showing a "molybdenum deficiency syndrome".

5. Phosphate fertilizer is mainly derived from phosphate rock, which contains many impurities, including cadmium, lead, fluorine and other harmful elements. The application of phosphate fertilizer will cause the increase of cadmium and lead in the soil, the annual increase is 0.15%-0.08%, and the cadmium and lead are highly effective, and they are easily absorbed by crops and cause harm to humans and animals.