Summer Crops Are Booming and So Is Their Nitrogen Demand

June 24, 2020
By Margaret G Lloyd

Nitrogen is one of the essential macronutrients required for a healthy, productive crop. With summer in full swing, the nitrogen demand for many crops is high. Use these graphs to understand the timing of nitrogen demand in the crops you are growing. Soil tests and tissue tests are great ways to know the current nitrogen status of your soil or crop to determine whether you have sufficient nitrogen to meet the demand. Click to learn more about soil and tissue sampling.

Visit Dr. Daniel Geisselers Lab and CDFA Fertilizer Research and Education Program for more information.

Here's a GENERAL N UPTAKE CURVE FOR ANNUALS . Click here for more information.

Crop N Uptake general — Line graph showing crop nitrogen uptake increasing over time from seedling growth to maturity, with stages labeled vegetative growth, flowering, and seed development.

N Uptake Curve for MELONS. Click here for more information.

Melon curve — Line graph of nitrogen uptake versus accumulated heat units, showing increases from early bloom through early fruit, early netting, and maturity.

N Uptake Curve for Fresh Market Tomatoes. Click here for more information

Fresh market tomato N curve — Graph of tomato nitrogen uptake over weeks after planting with data points for 2017 and 2018, highlighting rapid uptake during green fruit stage and harvest period.

N Uptake Curve for PLUMS AND PRUNES. Click here for more information

Prune curve — Line graph of total nitrogen in prune trees over days of the year, showing increases after leaf-out, peak at harvest, and declines during leaf fall.

N Uptake Curve for STRAWBERRIES. Click here for more information.

Strawberry curve — Scatter plot with trend line showing nitrogen uptake increasing over calendar dates from fall through late summer.

N Uptake Curve for PEACHES AND NECTARINES. Click here for more information.

Peach curve — Line graph of total nitrogen in peach trees over time, showing changes from full bloom to fruit harvest, leaf fall, and dormancy.