Micronutrients like zinc, boron, iron, copper, and manganese are essential for the health of crops and can boost plant quality and improve yields. Nutrient management is vital for effective productivity in crop production.

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However, these nutrients are easily precipitated or oxidized in the soil, and thus, their utilization may not be optimal. A chelated micronutrient fertilizer offers an excellent way to enhance micronutrient optimization and efficiency.

At Ferticell, we offer a micronutrient fertilizer package with added freshwater algae that can help boost the availability of micronutrients in the soil and improve hydroponic or foliar reapplications. By including an application of Nutri-Plus™ with micronutrient applications, the amino acids in Nutri-Plus™ act as a natural chelator, increasing uptake of vital micronutrients. It should be mentioned this mix of Nutri-Plus™ and Microelements™ is an entirely soluble blend, some of which can be applied through foliar sprays, whereas others are directed to the soil.

What Are Chelates?

Chelates are organic elements that pick up and keep metal ions (soluble micronutrients) to prevent them from being oxidized by other ions. The good part is that these metal ions can still be absorbed through the roots and used as nutrients. Chelated micronutrients will have an increased bioavailability in soils with higher pH values, especially above 7.0.

Simply put, chelates make it easier and convenient for crops to access some nutrients. It also helps make metal ions more soluble, prevent precipitation, and reduce the toxicity level of ions.

Is Chelated Fertilizer Necessary?

As mentioned earlier, traditional micronutrients may be unavailable in the soil due to oxidation or precipitation processes. Chelated fertilizer is needed to boost the bioavailability of micronutrients and enhance crop quality. Low OM soils will have depleted micronutrient numbers and will benefit and respond to lower rates as a chelated metal ion.

Similarly, if soil micronutrient supplementation is inadequate or plants exhibit micronutrient stress, chelated fertilizer should be considered. In addition to chelated fertilizer, the amino acid can also be added to the soil to provide food and energy for microbes and modify different stress responses.

High yield production will deplete micronutrients from soil reserves and foliar applications will often produce the greatest efficiency of uptake to deficient plants. Tree nut crops and vegetables are at a greater risk for micronutrient deficiencies in high production soils.

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Stress conditions such as a low temperature or soils that are saturated will reduce root growth that will directly influence the uptake of soil stored micronutrients, so foliar applications of chelated materials can maintain correct levels of metal lions that are critical in flowering and seed filling.

Where to Purchase Chelated Micronutrient Fertilizer from Ferticell

Plant Micronutrient Uptake Challenges and the Benefits of Chelated Fertilizers

Adam Nawrocki, Director of ADOB, explains why plants can have difficulties accessing micronutrients and explains some of the advantages of using chelated micronutrients in both soils and fertigation.

Why is it difficult for plants to access micronutrients and what factors can affect their availability in soils?

Plants can experience micronutrient deficiencies in a variety of situations, including during drought; in high pH, calcareous soils; when there are high concentrations of bicarbonates or phosphates; after liming; and when there are antagonistic reactions between micronutrients (if one is available in excess).

What is chelated fertilizer and what are its benefits for delivering micronutrients to plants?

Chelates comes from the Greek word chelé, which means lobster’s claw. This describes the pincer-like way that a metal micronutrient ion is encircled by a larger organic molecule ‘claw’, called a ligand or chelator. This process protects metal micronutrients from reacting with their surroundings while the pincer-like bonding with the chelator improves foliar plant uptake efficiency. Iron, copper, manganese, and zinc are all examples of micronutrients that can be chelated.

Chelated micronutrients are much more stable in agronomic conditions compared to those in inorganic salt form. As a result, they are very efficient in high pH soils and when high pH water is used to grow crops, they don’t precipitate into insoluble hydroxides and phosphate forms and they can be mixed with other mineral fertilizers and inputs such as pesticides. They are also particularly well suited for direct foliar applications.

Can you tell us about the use of chelated fertilizer for fertigation?

Fertigation is one of the most popular applications for chelated micronutrients. The benefits of chelated fertilizers include: their ability to remain stable in solution, no matter what pH the water is or other compounds present; their stability in a variety of soil conditions; the quantity applied can be easily adjusted according to the growth stage and deficiency symptoms in plants; and they don’t block pipes and nozzles in fertigation systems.

When are chelated micronutrients applied to the soil?

The first step is obviously to analyze the soil in order to understand what the concentrations of micronutrients are. in general, pretty much all soils are missing one or more micronutrients, or due to high pH levels they are not available to plants. Chelated micronutrients are applied as preventive or forced treatments.

They are also applied to help produce high yielding crops or where crops specifically demand micronutrients. In general, chelated micronutrient fertilizer can help produce high yields, good quality agricultural products and provide necessary amounts of micronutrients (such as zinc and iron) in humans diet.