PDA News
The PDA publishes both technical News items and shorter Blog items. PDA News provides the latest up to date information on macronutrients and their use, while blog items are shorter and timelier.
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Crop stress responses
It has been stressed many times about the importance of potassium in crops suffering from drought stress, and each spring appears to provide a reminder of this.
May 2020
Legumes need a good K-start!
Potassium is an essential nutrient for legumes as it is for all crops. It is an activator for many enzymes, especially those involved in protein synthesis and has an important role in maintaining water balance in the plant. In legumes, potassium is necessary for the proper development and functioning of root nodules. In legumes, rhizobia […]
May 2020
Crop root systems explain need to maintain K Index level
When considering the appropriate soil K Index for a crop or rotation it is important to take into account that different crops have root systems with different total lengths, depths and efficiencies. Generally speaking, the longer an annual crop is growing, the longer the root system, which means that winter combinable crops and grass etc, should have […]
March 2020
Recent trends in UK potash fertiliser use
The latest Professional Agricultural Analysis Group (PAAG) UK soil analysis data suggest that 33% of fields (including both arable and grassland) are below index 2- for potassium. These soils will require an application of K to replace what has been removed by the crop during the season and an additional amount to build up the […]
December 2019
Potash implications of baling straw
Last harvest there were quite a lot of last-minute decisions to bale as a result of anticipated straw shortages and higher prices. Baling and removing straw, where there is no specific requirement for other enterprises on the farm, can often be a sensible agronomic and economic decision. These include high level of residue on the […]
September 2019
To bale or not to bale…
With harvest having started in several counties across the country, decisions will be being made whether to bale straw or chop and incorporate back into the soil. Many winter barley crops that have not suffered from the dry conditions up to June generally have a large amount of straw. Last year there was quite a […]
July 2019
Potash for maize
Following the recent heavy rainfall, some spring sown crops will have quickly gone from a state of moisture stress to waterlogging, not ideal in the early stages of production! Some of the later sown spring crops, such as maize have been slow to get going due to the dry soil conditions. The rainfall will help […]
June 2019
Potassium for the soil and crop: the importance of getting it right
Patrick J. Forrestal1, Mark Plunkett1, Cathal Redmond1 and Martin Bourke21Soils, Land Use and Environment Dept. Teagasc, Johnstown Castle, Co. Wexford.2Teagasc Advisory Service, Tinnahealy, Co. Wicklow Introduction Crops including spring barley require high levels of potassium (K) to support yield, often at similar levels to nitrogen (N). Potassium has traditionally received much less focus compared with […]
May 2019
Potash and sulphur for silage yield and quality
Unlike nitrogen and sulphur, potash moves very slowly in the soil. Failure to replenish the potash removed by grass cut for silage can lead to short-term yield penalties. The advice to keep soil potassium levels at Index 2- will maintain a fertile and productive soil throughout the horizon where roots can access nutrients. Fresh potash, […]
May 2019
Potassium and drought tolerance
It can be a bit of a gamble to put together an article which focusses heavily on current weather conditions, particularly when thinking back to April 2012, when farms with access to irrigation equipment were considering applications to cereals. We all know what happened next… However, it cannot be ignored that large parts of the […]
April 2019
Potash for grassland
Potash is used to regulate the movement and storage of solutions throughout plants which can be compared to the blood system in animals or humans. This is a very wide ranging and vital role, affecting nutrient uptake, photosynthesis, rate of growth and feed value of forage. These functions require larger amounts of potash in total […]
March 2019
Understanding phosphate
I have recently seen two statements that imply that using water-soluble phosphate fertilisers increases the risk of loss of phosphate to surface water, with its adverse environmental implications, and that the majority of the phosphate applied to soil becomes fixed in the soil and is unavailable to plants. Neither statement is true..
February 2019