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Show Proper Food As lrpppsrji T$ Pnfs As Tp Pepp!e Say Experts In Urging oj! Testing Prpgrpm "Plants, like people can suffer from malnutrition even when fed heartily; and, like people, they become healthier if the proper 'tonic is administered." According to Dr. Roy C. Lipps, chief western agronomist for U. S Steel, new research indicates that so-called "minor" or trace elements are as important to plants as vitamins are to human development. "We don't think of them as minor anymore," he stresses, "because our newest studies of western soils prove that small amounts of these plant foods make major differences in profitable crop production." In order to underscore their real importance to crop yields soil scientists now prefer to call them "micronutrient elements Careful soil research points out that while such elements as zinc, cooper, iron, molybdenum and manganese are used by plants in small amounts, an absence of these micronut-rients can have a devastating effect on plant growth. These new studies underscore again and again the importance of well-planned soil testing programs, Dr. Lipps said. While general fertilizer recommendations are helpful, only through a scientific test can an individual farmer know exactly what his farm soil con-, . - tains, its strengths, its deficien-V'cies and specific needs," he re--ports. Once tested the soil can be fertilized "by prescription"' which successful farmers say takes the guesswork out of farming- and greatly increases their profit potential. This way particular needs can be met by a crop by crop, field by field basis. Latest research points out these significant facts about western soils: Most soils in the Intermountain' area are deficient in the key essential constituent of plant material nitrogen easily 'corrected by proper application of nitrogen-rich fertilizers such as ammonium sulfate, anhydrous ammonia and ammonium nitrate. All of the 11 western states contain areas of zinc and iron defiency. Other elements, like boron, magnesium and copper are also reported in insufficient supply, however, Iron and zinc deficiencies seem continued on back page SOIL TESTS NEEDED -continued from front page to be the most critical from a . crop production standpoint Correction of zinc deficiencies ' created dramatic responses in fruit trees, corn and beans plus a significant yield . and quality response in pota-w toes with more No. 1 potatoes produced. ' Iron def icencies are most often found in alkaline soils. Soils with high phosphate levels accentuate zinc problems where zinc is in insufficient , supply. Lack of molybdenum affects alfalfa and pea production. Crops sensitive to lack of iron include: Citrus and fruit trees, sugar beets, potatoes, sorghum, milo, beans and the cereal crops wheat, barley, oats and rye. |
