Water Soluble Fertilizer (WSF), is a kind of multi-component fertilizer that can be completely dissolved in water.
Its main features include:
- Complete solubility: Water-soluble fertilizer can be quickly and completely dissolved in water, no residual impurities, easy to absorb crops.
- Nutritionally comprehensive: contains a variety of nutrients needed for crop growth, including nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and a variety of trace elements.
- High absorption rate: Because it can be completely dissolved, the absorption and utilization rate of nutrients in water-soluble fertilizer is high, usually up to more than 80%.
- Convenient application: It can be applied directly through the agricultural system such as spray and drip irrigation to realize the integration of water and fertilizer and improve the fertilization efficiency.
Types and selection of water-soluble fertilizers
1.1 A large amount of elemental water-soluble fertilizer
Water-soluble fertilizer is the most widely used type of water-soluble fertilizer in agricultural production. Its main components include nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), etc. These elements are the main nutrients necessary for plant growth. According to the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, the application of such fertilizers can increase crop yields by 10-30%, especially on leafy vegetables and fruit crops. For example, nitrogen fertilizer can promote chlorophyll synthesis of crops, phosphate fertilizer helps crop root development and energy conversion, and potassium fertilizer enhances crop disease resistance and improves fruit quality.
1.2 Medium element water soluble fertilizer
The medium element water soluble fertilizer mainly includes calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), sulfur (S) and other elements, which are also crucial to the growth and development of plants. Calcium plays an important role in cell wall formation and cell division, magnesium is the central element of the chlorophyll molecule, and sulfur is a component of many amino acids and vitamins. According to the Chinese Journal of Agricultural Sciences, the rational application of water soluble fertilizer can significantly improve crop stress resistance and yield, especially in acidic soil and sandy soil.
1.3 Water-soluble fertilizer of trace elements
Water soluble fertilizer contains trace elements such as iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), and other trace elements, although the content of these elements in the plant body is very low, but they play an indispensable role in the plant growth and development process. For example, iron is the active center of many enzymes, manganese is involved in the water-breaking process in photosynthesis, and zinc and copper are components of many enzymes. According to the research of Guangdong Agricultural Science, the lack of trace elements will lead to crop growth obstruction, yield decline, and even produce various physiological diseases.
1.4 Amino acid water-soluble fertilizer and organic water-soluble fertilizer
Water-soluble fertilizers containing amino acids and organic water-soluble fertilizers are a class of water-soluble fertilizers that provide additional organic nutrients. They contain organic substances such as amino acids, humic acid and fulvic acid, which can improve soil structure and improve soil water and fertilizer retention ability. The organic material in such fertilizers also promotes the growth of plant roots and increases the resistance of crops to disease. According to the "Agricultural Encyclopedia", water-soluble fertilizer containing amino acids and organic water-soluble fertilizer have significant effects on improving crop quality and increasing crop yield, especially in organic agriculture and green food production has been widely used.
Technical points of water soluble fertilizer application
2.1 Avoid direct application
When applying water-soluble fertilizer, the method of secondary dilution should be adopted to avoid the phenomenon of burning seedlings and root injury caused by direct application. The secondary dilution method can ensure the uniform distribution of fertilizer and improve the utilization rate of fertilizer.
2.2 Small amount of multiple application
Due to the strong quick effect of water-soluble fertilizer, it is difficult to remain in the soil for a long time, so it is recommended to use a small amount of multiple application principle to meet the needs of plants to absorb nutrients continuously. It is generally recommended to use 3 to 6 kilograms per acre each time.
2.3 Pay attention to nutrient balance
The application of water-soluble fertilizer should be rationally matched according to the growth needs of crops and soil nutrient conditions to avoid excessive or insufficient nutrients. Under the conditions of drip irrigation and fertilization, it is especially necessary to pay attention to the balanced supply of nutrients.
2.4 Combined application
Water-soluble fertilizers are usually used as topdressing fertilizers and should be combined with base fertilizers, organic fertilizers and conventional fertilizers to play the advantages of various fertilizers, reduce costs and improve crop yield and quality.
2.5 Avoid excessive irrigation
When applying fertilizer, the amount of irrigation should be controlled to keep the depth of the root layer in a suitable moist state to avoid nutrient leaching and fertilizer waste caused by excessive irrigation.
2.6 Prevent the accumulation of salt on the surface
Long-term application of drip irrigation may lead to accumulation of salt on the surface and affect root growth. Techniques such as submembrane drip irrigation can be used to inhibit salt migration to the surface and maintain soil health.
2.7 Irrigation water quality management
Understand the hardness and pH of irrigation water to avoid the reduction of fertilizer effect due to water quality problems. In saline-alkali soil areas, special attention should be paid to the precipitation of calcium phosphate, so as not to block the dropper and reduce the effect of phosphate fertilizer.
2.8 Uniformity of fertilization
The fertilization rate should be appropriate to improve the utilization rate of difficult-to-move nutrients. In the dry season, it is recommended to control the fertilization time within 2 to 3 hours to ensure the uniformity of fertilization
