Meet Crop Nutrient Requirements

What are crop nutrient requirements?

Nutrient management is critical in increasing or maintaining crop yields on a single parcel of agricultural land. To meet crop needs throughout a growing season soil fertility must be consistently high, which can be attributed to the presence and availability of nutrients. There are fourteen nutrients that are supplied to crops from soil and fertilizer sources. Of these, 6 are widely considered macronutrients, while the rest are micronutrients. Macronutrients are used in relatively larger amounts by the plant, however micronutrient deficiencies can be equally damaging to yield and profitability. For more information on the essential nutrients for crop growth see the Crop Nutrient Requirements Focus Topic.

Determine your need

Perform a soil test

Perform a tissue analysis

Plant Tissue Sampling
Plant Tissue Sampling in Orchards and Vineyards
Corn stalk nitrate test Growers of grain and silage corn can assess if they are over- or under-fertilizing their fields using this test. When performed over a series of years and combined with yield information, this test can help growers to become familiar with whether their nitrogen applications exceed what is needed for optimal yields or whether they are not applying enough nitrogen. Sampling can be done any time between 1/4 milk line, which is just before harvest, to about 3 weeks after black layer.

Check your symptoms

Corn showing zinc deficiency symptoms

Consider other factors

Water

Self-Evaluation Techniques: Evaluating Water Quality
California Agricultural Water Stewardship Initiative's Nutrient Management: an overview of nutrient and irrigation management

Soil pH

International Plant Nutrition Institute Soil pH and the Availability of Plant Nutrients
University of Illinois Extension Managing Soil pH and Crop Nutrients
USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service Soil Quality Kit - Soil pH: this guide for educators can be useful interpreting the results of soil pH tests

Nutrient losses

USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service Crop Nutrient Tool: this tool is useful in calculating the approximate amount of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium removed from the field with harvest

Know your nutrient

Nitrogen

Phosphorous

Rice Phosphorus Fertilizer Budget and Application calculator
PennState Extension Managing Phosphorus for Crop Production

Potassium

Nitrogen and Potassium Prediction Model for Pistachio

Secondary Nutrients

Secondary Plant Nutrients: Calcium (Ca), Magnesium (Mg), and Sulfur (S)
Soil Health Nexus Sulfur, Calcium and Magnesium

Micronutrients

University of Arizona Extension Guide to Symptoms of Plant Nutrient Deficiencies

University of California nitrogen fertilizer guidelines for selected crops

Due to the variety of field, farm, and regional factors affecting plant nutrient requirements, it is impossible to prescribe specific and broadly applicable recommendations for fertilization rates. The following table provides general guidelines for specific crops, developed by University of California researchers. Numbered publications can be found in the UC Agriculture and Natural Resources catalog.

Nitrogen Guidelines (lbs/acre)

Crop	Minimum	Maximum	Source
Alfalfa	0	50	Summers and Putnam 2008 (Pub #3512)
Almond	100	200	Micke 1996 (Pub #3364)
Avocado	67	100	Faber et al. 2011 (Pub #3436), Lovatt 2001, Wolstenholme 2004
Bean, dry	86	116	Long et al. 2010 (Pub #8402)
Broccoli	100	200	LeStrange et al. 2010 (Pub # 7211)
Carrot	100	250	Nunez et al. 2008 (Pub #7226)
Celery	200	275	Daugovish et al. 2008 (Pub #7220)
Corn	150	275
Corn, sweet	100	200	Smith et al. 1997 (Pub #7223)
Cotton	100	200	Hake et al. 1996 (Pub #3352)
Environment horticulture			Newman 2009 (Pub #3508)
Grape, raisin	20	60	Christensen 2000 (Pub #3393)
Lawn(Heavy soil)	174	261	Harivandi and Gibeault 1997 (Pub #7227)
Lawn(Shade)	87	130	Harivandi and Gibeault 1996 (Pub #7214)
Lemon			Ingels et al. 1994 (Pub #21521)
Lettuce	170	220	Turini 2011 (Pub #7215), Smith et al. 2011c (Pub #7216)
Melon, cantaloupe	80	150	Hartz et al. 2008 (Pub #7218)
Melon, watermelon		160	Baameur et al. 2009 (Pub #7213)
Melons (mixed)	100	150	Mayberry et al. 1996 (Pub #7209)
Nectarine	100	150	Strand 1999 (Pub #3389)
Oats	50	120	Munier et al. 2006 (Pub #8167)
Onion	100	400	Smith et al. 2011b (Pub #7242)
Oranges			Ingels et al. 1994 (Pub #21521)
Peach, cling	50	100	Norton et al. 2007 (Pub #8276)
Peach, free	50	100	Norton et al. 2009 (Pub #8358)
Pepper, bell	180	240	Hartz et al. 2008 (Pub #7217)
Pepper, chili	150	200	Smith et al. 2011a (Pub #7244)
Pistachios	100	225	Beede et al. 2005
Plums, dried (prunes)		100	Norton et al. 2007 (Pub #8264)
Plums, fresh	110	150	La Rue and Johnson 1989 (Pub #3331)
Potato			Strand et al. 2006. Pub. #3316.
Rice	110	145	Mutters and Thompson 2009 (Pub #3514)
Safflower	100	150	Kafka and Kearney 1998 (Pub #21565)
Strawberry	150	300	Strand et al. 2008 (Pub #3351)
Tomatoes, fresh market	125	350	Le Strange et al. 2000 (Pub #8017)
Tomatoes, processing	100	150	Hartz et al. 2008 (Pub #7228)
Walnuts	150	200	Anderson 2006 (Pub #21623) & Ramos 1997 (Pub. #3373)
Wheat	100	240	Munier et al. 2006 (Pub #8167)

The above table was adapted from the California Nitrogen Assessment (2016).

The application of any fertilizer or soil amendment should be consistent with the "4 R's" of nutrient management. The "Fertilizer Nitrogen" focus topic provides more details on proper application of soil amendments.