Dear Sir/Madam,
As crops need up to 20 elements for their proper growth and nutrition and we depend on plants and the animals that eat them for food, we must ensure that a sufficient supply of all necessary elements are available to food crops. Conventional solid fertilizers do not provide a workable way to supply trace elements due to the difficulty of mixing and spreading evenly very small amounts of copper sulphate into a ton of fertilizer. As trace elements are removed by crops and not replaced in fertilizers, the nutritional value of crops is diminished. Vegetables grown in different parts of a country may have, as a result, very variable amounts of trace elements or elements such as magnesium which are needed in relatively large amounts. It is estimated, for example, that over 50 percent of the US population is deficient in Mg. Magnesium is necessary for the formation of chlorophyll in plants and for many enzymic reactions.
This problem of applying elements such as Cu, Mg, Mn, etc. can be solved by using the Flex Fertilizer System. This liquid fertilizer system has several advantages over conventional solid, or liquid fertilizers. The key advantage is that N and P are chemically bonded together in the root-zone and are available for up to 6 weeks under European conditions. This gives rise to rapid root growth. When a plant has a large root system it can forage better for nutrients and water. As a result, the amount of P applied can be cut by up to 50 percent and get the same result as 100 percent application of conventional fertilizer. N use can normally be cut by up to 25 percent, and leaching of N is almost eliminated, i.e. more of the applied N is actually used by the plant. Trace elements can be added to this liquid fertilizer as indicated by soil test results, giving rise to super-healthy plants that require less fungicides.
Flex Fertilizers are formulated for both soil application and foliar application. It is estimated that foliar applied N is nine times more effective than applying it to the soil, hence very small amounts of N can be applied to very good effect.
Animals grazing grass produced using the Flex Fertilizer System are also healthier, as one would expect, given that the grass they eat contains the major nutrients and trace elements they need. One farmer told me many years ago that his lambs finished one month earlier on Flex fertilized grass.
Another major advantage of the Flex Fertilizer System is that it requires much less water/rainfall to work than conventional solid fertilizers. This has profound implications for dry areas.
We won't have properly nutritious food until we provide ALL the elements necessary for plant growth at the time the plant needs them. The Flex Fertilizer System allows this to happen. It also saves 50 percent of P needed, allowing more economical use of this rapidly depleting resource.
With best regards,
James Breen.
FAO Consultant
James Breen