Magnesium Mg is needed by all crops to help capture the sun's energy for growth and production through photosynthesis. Photosynthesis takes place in chlorophyll, the green pigment in plants, and magnesium is the central atom of the chlorophyll molecule, with each molecule containing 6.
Magnesium plays an important role in activating enzymes involved in respiration, photosynthesis and nucleic acid synthesis. It aids in phosphate metabolism, serving as a carrier of phosphate compounds through the plant. Magnesium Mg is an essential plant nutrient that has a wide range of roles in many plant functions.
Magnesium plays a key role in the photosynthesis process and its deficiency is detrimental to plant growth. In this blog, Tanja Luebbers, Agricultural Support Consultant at AgroCares, explains why Magnesium is crucial for plants and crops and discusses how AgroCares technology can help by giving crop specific recommendation for magnesium fertilization. Soil nutrients come in three basic categories: macro, meso and microelements depending on the quantity in which the plants need them.
Magnesium Mg is an essential meso nutrient, along with calcium Ca and sulfur S. Magnesium is a very mobile element that is important for plant growth and development. Its availability in soil depends on multiple factors: the source rock material, the degree of weathering, local climate and the specific agricultural system and its management practices, such as crop type, cropping intensity and rotation, and fertilization practices.
Therefore, the amount of magnesium can vary highly depending on the soil type. Low amounts of Mg can be expected in tropical and sandy soils, while soils close to the sea marshland, peat soils, saline soils, and generally soils with high clay content tend to have higher amounts of magnesium. Magnesium is an essential element throughout the whole growth period of a plant.
Magnesium fulfills several functions within the plant; it is a central component of chlorophyll which is supporting the function to absorb sunlight during photosynthesis. Magnesium acts as a phosphorus carrier in plants and is essential for phosphate metabolism. Furthermore, it is also needed for cell division and protein formation, activation of several enzyme systems and is an essential component for plant respiration. In short, without magnesium, chlorophyll cannot capture solar energy for photosynthesis and the important metabolic functions related to carbohydrates and cell membrane stabilization cannot be performed by the plant.
Magnesium deficiency commonly occurs in intensively used agricultural soils, but it can also be caused by weathering of soil. It is often seen in sandy, strongly leached and acid soils. It is not easy to recognize Mg deficiency based on the symptoms. Due to its mobility within the plant, Mg deficiency symptoms will appear on the lower and older leaves first, before the symptoms become visible on the younger leaves. Sulfate is soluble and is easily lost from soils by leaching. As sulfate is leached down into soil, it accumulates in heavier higher clay content subsoils.
For this reason, testing for sulfur in topsoil is unreliable for predicting sulfur availability during a long growing season. Many coarse-textured, sandy soils and loworganic matter, silty soils throughout Mississippi are sulfur deficient for crop production. Many acid soils contain metallic sulfides that release sulfur as weathering occurs.
Sulfur deficiency symptoms show on young leaves first. The leaves appear pale green to yellow. The plants are spindly and small with retarded growth and delayed fruiting.
For a rapid correction of a deficiency, use one of the readily available sulfate sources. Sulfur may be recommended for major crops in Mississippi at 8—10 pounds per acre annually in some situations. Check with local MSU Extension Service offices or area agronomists for more crop- and sitespecific information. There are many sources of fertilizer sulfur available. Organic matter is the source of organic sulfur compounds and is the main source of soil sulfur in most Mississippi soils.
Other sources of sulfur are rainfall and fertilizers that contain sulfur. There are several other sulfate sources as well as less available sources of sulfur in the elemental or sulfide form.
Elemental sulfur is a good acidifying agent. An application of pounds of sulfur per acre on sandy loam soil reduces the pH from 7.
It takes about 3 pounds of lime to neutralize the acidity formed by 1 pound of sulfur. Table 1. Average percentage of chemical content of major sources of calcium magnesium, and sulfur.
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