Feeding your crops is a lot like feeding people. The correct quantities of all the different nutrients must be available for proper growth and health. Over the years we have learned that many different elements or nutrients are required for proper nutrition. As man has learned about these different elements and included the foods which contain these elements into his diet, two things have happened: We have grown bigger. Since the industrial revolution, when man began to include a wider variety of foods into his diet, every generation has been a little bigger than the previous one. We have become much healthier. The deficiency diseases, like beriberi caused by a Vitamin B deficiency, rickets - a Vitamin D deficiency, scurvy - a Vitamin C deficiency and a host of others, are now unheard of in countries where people eat a balanced diet. Also, mortality from infectious diseases has been dramatically reduced. Many people credit the use of Penicillin with the drop in mortality rates caused by infectious diseases like pneumonia, rheumatic fever and scarlet fever. But when you study mortality rates you see that they had already dropped significantly prior to 1945 when Penicillin became readily available. Between the turn of the century and 1945, our transportation systems improved, more fresh foods became available year round, the variety in our diets increased, our nutrition improved and our bodies had the correct nutrients to fight off infectious diseases. Plants are like people in that they require a wide variety of nutrients for maximum growth, health and yield To date 14 different elements or nutrients have been found to be essential for crops. As science advances we may discover that more nutrients are required, but to date 14 have been identified. The list of 14 nutrients or elements include three organic, three primary, and three secondary. The balance are made up of micro-nutrients. The three organic nutrients - carbon, hydrogen and oxygen - are taken directly from the air and water. The 3 primary nutrients are nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Farmers have been replacing these for the last 20 or 30 years. But what about all the other nutrients? With ever improving farming practices, the use of high-yield varieties, increasing yields and the fact that we have already mined 40 or more years' supply of nutrients out of our soil - isn't it about time that we started to replace them also? Let's take a look at the role they play. The secondary nutrients, magnesium, calcium and sulfur, are just as important to your crops as the 3 primary nutrients. For example, your crop requires more calcium than all other nutrients combined. Have you ever wondered why barley bushel weights have been decreasing while lodging has been increasing during the past few years? Calcium is one of the main elements that increases the weight of your crop. While sulfur forms part of your plant's enzymes and proteins, it is also required for metabolic functions. Magnesium is required for photosynthesis and protein synthesis. The remaining required nutrients include 6 trace elements. They are manganese, iron, copper, zinc, boron and molybdenum. All six are essential for maximum crop growth, health and yield. They are often needed in quantities greater than the soil can supply. Following are a few of the vital functions they play: IRON: Needed for the formation of chlorophyll. Acts as a catalyst making other elements work. MANGANESE: The "element of life" makes it possible for all living things to reproduce/produce seed. Acts as a catalyst. ZINC: It is the growth activator. It activates the enzyme system that produces growth regulators. COPPER activates a variety of plant enzymes including the enzyme that links amino acids together to form finished proteins. BORON makes starch, helps maintain the balance between sugar and starch and it also plays a role in improving the quality of the seed. MOLYBDENUM enables plants to use nitrogen. It also regulates sugar content and produces energy carriers. Not all of the 14 identified nutrients are equal in amount required, but they are all equal in importance. Each different nutrient is essential to total crop nutrition and each plays a series of roles in crop growth, health and yield. When any one of the 14 nutrients are inadequately supplied your crop's yield and/or health may be affected.