Principles of fertilizer nutrient balance in organic vegetable cultivation
Actual photo of applying organic fertilizer in organic vegetable cultivation at Air Farm
As is well known, the environmental conditions required for crop growth and development, apart from sunlight, temperature, oxygen and water, most importantly include mineral nutrients, and no matter how advanced the organic vegetable cultivation technique, it is no exception. It is now confirmed that there are 16 nutrient elements essential for crop growth and development. The macroelements are carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, sulfur and magnesium; crops absorb large amounts of these elements, which account for more than 0.010% of fresh weight in the crop body. The microelements are iron, manganese, chlorine, boron, zinc, copper and molybdenum; crops absorb small amounts of these elements, which account for less than 0.009% of fresh weight in the crop body.
Actual photo of applying organic fertilizer in organic vegetable cultivation at Air Farm
Normal metabolism in plants requires that the content of various nutrient elements remain relatively balanced; imbalance will lead to metabolic disorder and cause physiological obstacles. The various nutrient elements essential to crops each have their special nutritional functions in the body, and deficiency will affect various physiological and biochemical processes. When the deficiency of a certain nutrient element reaches a certain degree, certain symptoms will appear in appearance; conversely, if it is in excess, specific symptoms will also occur, showing pathological characteristics of varying degrees, called physiological diseases, affecting yield and quality. When engaging in vegetable production at an organic vegetable cultivation base, among the above-mentioned mineral nutrients, apart from carbon, hydrogen and oxygen, which are mainly provided by water and carbon dioxide, the other nutrient elements are mainly supplied by soil and the application of organic fertilizer.
Actual photo of applying organic fertilizer in organic vegetable cultivation at Air Farm
Although soil organic matter accounts for only a very small part of the total soil weight, it is one of the important indicators reflecting the level of soil fertility. One important reason is that soil organic matter contains various nutrients required by vegetables, such as nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and microelements. As soil organic matter gradually decomposes, these nutrients can be continuously released to supply the needs of vegetable growth. In addition, organic matter can also, by affecting the physical, chemical and biological properties of soil, improve soil water permeability, water retention, aeration, fertilizer retention and the environment for vegetable root growth, thereby increasing soil fertility and improving soil tillage properties.