Micro and macronutrients are essential for sugarcane development

Why is it so important to carry out nutritional management of sugarcane crops during the vegetative phase? The study of plant nutrition establishes, among the fundamental elements for the plant's life cycle, some determining factors, including: how they are absorbed, translocated and accumulated, their functions, requirements and the disturbances caused when they occur in excessive or deficient quantities. In practice, plant nutrition is the set of processes through which plants assimilate the nutrients available in the environment to build their cellular structures and obtain energy to carry out their vital functions, such as growth and reproduction.

The processes involved in plant nutrition are affected by three systems: plant, soil and environment. The plant system is centered on processes related to the assimilation of nutrients that involve plant physiology. In the soil, there are areas of fertility, correction and soil conditioning. The environment is associated with irrigation, drainage, climatology and others.

It is necessary to know that the stock of nutrients in the soil is of great importance. This is regulated by the balance between inputs (liming, application of cake, vinasse, fertilizers, organic materials, and other sources of micronutrients) and outputs (export and losses due to runoff, leaching or erosion) of the soil, in addition to the formation of complexes. which make nutrients unavailable to plants. Therefore, in soils where nutrient outputs are greater than nutrient inputs, cultivation will reduce the stock and, consequently, at a certain point there will be a lack of soil solution, resulting in a decrease in crop productivity.

In recent years, with the increase in stalk productivity and as a consequence of the export of nutrients, combined with the use of more concentrated fertilizers with lower levels of these micronutrients, the exploitation of sandy soils with low levels of organic matter and micronutrients, in the material of origin (lower stock of micronutrients), has raised the question of the need for fertilization using these nutrients. In the literature, few studies are found on micronutrients in sugarcane and there is no clarity on the conditions for responses to micronutrients.

The search for better agricultural practices and the adoption of new technologies that improve the performance of sugarcane fields has often been led by the sector's main opinion leaders, aiming to better exploit the crop's productive potential and consequently reduce production costs.

The importance of micronutrients for sugarcane cultivation is evident when observing the quantities extracted from them. These are relatively low quantities when compared to the extraction of macronutrients, but they are of fundamental importance for the development of the crop.

It is very important to correctly position the fertilizer application on the billet or via the leaf, depending on the type of response expected.

In practice, the efficiency of foliar fertilization with Nitrogen is related to some important factors. The foliar absorption of anions and cations is different. For example: the rate of foliar absorption of nitrogen in the ammoniacal form (NH4+) is greater than in the nitric form (NO3-) and both are more absorbed than the starchy form. However, starch molecules have faster absorption, although limited; However, for spraying at very high N concentrations, above the sugarcane's absorption capacity, the absorption rate is drastically reduced, as the plant's absorption rate cannot support such a large quantity of particles. Which leads to the conclusion that nourishing well does not mean fertilizing more.

Ubyfol provides producers with solutions to use during this period, such as MS Cana and N32. These are technologies that provide a nutritional balance for sugarcane in this phase of greatest growth, which runs from October to January in the Center South of the country. The use of these formulations promotes the metabolic balance and physiological development of the plant, resulting in higher growth rates and sugar storage in the stalk. Its efficiency is proven both by the stability of results and the increase in productivity.

Application normally occurs together with agricultural pesticides, and these formulations have high compatibility, favoring application in a single operation.

The Ubyfol program for sugar cane aims to offer the elements Nitrogen (N), Potassium (K), Sulfur (S), Manganese (Mn), Zinc (Zn), Boron (B), Copper in a balanced way. (Cu) and Molybdenum (Mo), balanced to respect the plant's absorption rate. “We know that there is no point in supplying a large amount of N if the Mn or Mo levels are low in the plant, thus damaging the nitrogen assimilation process”, highlights Piemonte. Furthermore, in the same way, you cannot provide large amounts of N and leave S aside, as the metabolism of these nutrients goes together in the sugar formation chain. In this context, it is essential to use formulations that guarantee this nutritional balance.

However, the producer must pay attention to the signs that the sugarcane field gives throughout the entire cycle. Supplementing is just one of the steps towards good production. Planning, care, evaluation are important to produce, especially sugar cane.