Molybdenum Fertilizer, Silicon Fertilizer, and Sulfur Fertilizer: A Detailed Explanation of Their Main Characteristics and Application Methods

With the development of modern precision agriculture, precision fertilization has also developed rapidly and will become an important fertilization model.So what are the main characteristics and application methods of molybdenum fertilizer, silicon fertilizer, and sulfur fertilizer?

What are the main characteristics and application methods of molybdenum fertilizer?

1. Molybdenum is a trace element required in relatively small amounts during crop growth. It has a very close relationship with nitrogen metabolism in plants. This is shown by the fact that molybdenum not only plays an important role in biological nitrogen fixation, but also participates in the reduction process of nitrate, because molybdenum is a component of nitrate reductase.

2. When crops are deficient in molybdenum, if nitrate nitrogen is used as the nitrogen source, nitrate ions will accumulate in the crop, thereby reducing protein synthesis. In addition, the activity of phosphatases that hydrolyze various phospholipids is also affected by molybdenum, and when molybdenum is deficient, the vitamin C content in crops also decreases. The main symptoms of molybdenum deficiency in crops are: poor growth and development, stunted plants, and leaf chlorosis, wilting, and even necrosis.

3. Molybdenum fertilizer is suitable for various food crops and cash crops, especially legumes, leguminous green manures, and cruciferous crops, on which it performs relatively well.

4. Currently commonly used molybdenum fertilizers include: ammonium molybdate [(NH4)6Mo7O24·4H2O], containing 54.3% molybdenum; sodium molybdate (Na2MoO4·2H2O), containing 35.5% molybdenum; both are easily soluble in water. In addition, molybdenum trioxide (MoO3) and molybdenum-containing industrial waste residues can also be used as molybdenum fertilizer. However, ammonium molybdate is the most widely used.

Molybdenum fertilizer is generally applied as base fertilizer, seed fertilizer, or topdressing, and after being applied to the soil, its fertilizer effect can last for several years.

(1) As base fertilizer. Generally, molybdenum-containing industrial waste residues are most suitable as base fertilizer or seed fertilizer. Usually, molybdenum fertilizer or molybdenum-containing industrial waste residues are processed with ordinary superphosphate into molybdenum-containing superphosphate for use. Because phosphorus and molybdenum mutually promote each other's uptake by crops, mixed application helps improve the fertilizer efficiency of molybdenum fertilizer.

(2) For seed treatment. When seed dressing, use 1-3 grams of sodium molybdate per kilogram of seed; when soaking seeds, a 0.05%-0.1% ammonium molybdate solution can be used to soak the seeds for 12 hours.

(3) It can be used for foliar topdressing of crops. Generally, a 0.01%-0.1% ammonium molybdate solution is commonly used to spray crops. During the period from the seedling stage to the beginning of budding, molybdenum fertilizer can be sprayed 1-2 times.

5. Molybdenum fertilizer can also be added to macroelement fertilizers for mixed use, but it cannot be mixed with acidic fertilizers, otherwise solubility will decrease. Seeds treated with molybdenum fertilizer must not be eaten by humans or livestock, otherwise it will cause molybdenum poisoning.

What are the main characteristics and application methods of silicon fertilizer?

1. Silicon fertilizer is a citrate-soluble mineral fertilizer mainly containing calcium silicate, and experts call it the fourth major element fertilizer after nitrogen fertilizer, phosphorus fertilizer, and potassium fertilizer. Silicon fertilizer can not only provide crops with various macroelements and trace elements and promote crop growth and development; the CaO in silicon fertilizer can also improve the growing environment of crops, and Ca2+ and Mg2+ ions can also promote the formation of stable aggregate structure in the soil, thereby significantly improving the soil's fertilizer-retention capacity.

2. The large amount of calcium ions and silicate ions present in silicon fertilizer can reduce the harm of heavy metal ions to crops, thereby improving and enhancing crop fruit quality. At the same time, when silicon enters the crop body, it can also cause silicification of epidermal cells, playing a role in insect resistance and disease resistance. Especially for crops such as rice, wheat, corn, peanuts, soybeans, watermelon, fruit trees, and vegetables, after applying silicon fertilizer, yields can generally increase by 10%-25%.

3. At present, China's production of silicon fertilizer is still very small, and the main variety is limited to calcium silicate. This fertilizer appears as a light gray powder, with an SiO2 content of about 25% and a CaO content of about 35%. In addition, it also contains small amounts of P2O5, K2O, MgO, ZnSO4, Fe2O3, and other substances.

4. The main methods of using silicon fertilizer are as follows: (1) Silicon fertilizer is most suitable for use as base fertilizer. It can be applied alone or mixed with organic fertilizer. When applying, strive to spread it evenly, and it can usually be applied in combination with plowing; (2) It can be used as topdressing, but care should be taken to apply it early and deeply. For topdressing in paddy fields, maintain a shallow water layer and broadcast it, then plow deeply after application; for topdressing in dry fields, methods such as hole application or furrow application can be used, and after application, cover with soil and water.

5. When applying silicon fertilizer, note the following: (1) Silicon fertilizer is not suitable as seed fertilizer; (2) Silicon fertilizer cannot replace nitrogen fertilizer or potassium fertilizer; (3) Nitrogen fertilizer, phosphorus fertilizer, potassium fertilizer, silicon fertilizer, and other organic fertilizers should be applied in scientifically combined manner.

What are the main characteristics and application methods of sulfur fertilizer?

1. Sulfur, like nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, is one of the essential nutrients for plants, and its demand is similar to that for phosphorus. Sulfur fertilizer is a component element of proteins and enzymes in plants. Sulfur fertilizer is a constituent element of proteins and enzymes in plants. If sulfur is insufficient, protein synthesis will be affected, leading to non-protein accumulation, which will in turn affect the normal growth and development of crops. At the same time, sulfur fertilizer is also a component of many enzymes. These enzymes are not only related to plant respiration, fat metabolism, and nitrogen metabolism, but also have a certain influence on starch synthesis. In addition, sulfur fertilizer is also a component of the crop nitrogen fixation system and is necessary for nitrogen fixation in leguminous crops. From this, it can be seen that sulfur fertilizer plays a very important role in the entire growth and development process of crops.

2. Sulfur fertilizer is suitable for various crops and various soils, and especially when applied to alkaline soils, it also has the function of improving the soil. With the rapid development of agricultural production, the multiple cropping index of farmland continues to increase, and the use of high-concentration chemical fertilizers is increasing. Sulfur deficiency has already appeared in the soils of most regions of China, and there is a trend of it becoming increasingly serious. Therefore, the production and use of sulfur-containing fertilizers has to be placed on the agenda.

3. At present, there are many types of sulfur-containing fertilizers. In addition to sulfur and gypsum being used as sulfur fertilizer in production, other chemical fertilizers such as ammonium sulfate, potassium sulfate, ferrous sulfate, and superphosphate all contain sulfate to a greater or lesser extent. When these fertilizers are applied to sulfur-deficient soil, they can all compensate for sulfur consumption to a certain extent.

4. The main component of gypsum fertilizer is calcium sulfate (CaSO4·2H2O), which contains about 18% sulfur and about 23% CaO. This fertilizer is slightly soluble in water.

The main component of sulfur is elemental sulfur, generally containing 60%-80% sulfur. Elemental sulfur is not easily leached from the soil plow layer, so its residual effect is relatively long.

5. The application methods and amounts of sulfur fertilizer (mainly referring to gypsum and sulfur) vary depending on the soil and crop. Gypsum can be used as base fertilizer, topdressing, or seed fertilizer. When used as base fertilizer, the gypsum should be crushed and evenly broadcast on the surface of the cultivated land, then applied in combination with plowing. When used as topdressing, it can be applied in holes or in strips, and after application, cover with soil; the amount per mu is 15-30 kilograms. When used as seed fertilizer, the amount per mu is preferably 4-5 kilograms.

6. Sulfur fertilizer can be used for dipping rice seedling roots, with an amount per mu of 2.5-3 kilograms. Among these, sulfur is generally mostly used for dipping rice seedling roots. It should be noted that even when sulfur fertilizer is used to improve alkaline soil, the amount per mu should not be too much, and is usually best controlled at 1-4 kilograms.

When using sulfur fertilizer, note: because the main component of sulfur fertilizer is sulfur, it must be applied in combination with nitrogen fertilizer, phosphorus fertilizer, potassium fertilizer, and other fertilizers. Only in this way can the yield-increasing effects of various fertilizers be fully brought into play.