Unearthing the Power of Humic and Fulvic: Enhancing Soil Health for increased Crop Health
Posted on May 17, 2024
When making early season nutrient management decisions for improving crop health, it is important to consider humic and fulvic acids along with essential nutrients for a holistic approach to crop nutrient management.
What are Humic and Fulvic Acids?
Humic and fulvic acids are organic compounds that play a vital role in soil health and crop growth.
Humic Acid: Humic acid is a complex mixture of organic molecules that forms as organic matter decomposes in soil. It contributes to soil structure, water retention, and nutrient availability. Humic acid helps soil to hold onto nutrients like potassium, calcium, and magnesium, making them more accessible to plants. It also promotes microbial activity in the soil, which further enhances nutrient cycling.
Fulvic Acid: Fulvic acid is a smaller molecule derived from the breakdown of humic substances. It is soluble in water and acts as a chelating agent, meaning it can bind to minerals and make them more available to plants. Fulvic acid helps to transport nutrients into plant cells, increasing nutrient uptake and promoting overall plant health. Additionally, it can improve soil structure, increase microbial activity, and enhance the efficiency of fertilizers.
Humic and fulvic acid both play essential roles both above and below ground. Here’s how:
Above the Ground
Fulvic acid has a much smaller molecular weight than humic acid, making it more soluble, which allows fulvic acid to be taken up more easily by plant roots and leaf tissue. When applied directly to the leaves in a foliar application this helps to correct midseason stress quickly.
Fulvic acid enhances the efficiency of nutrients which allows for them to start working faster in the plant to correct deficiencies and lessen crop stress quickly. Correcting these issues quickly is important because if stress or nutrient deficiencies are not addressed, plants will use their energy to fight these issues instead of grain production which will reduce yields at harvest.
Below the Ground
Both humic and fulvic acid can be applied to the soil, yet both play different roles in crop health and development. Humic acid, because of its higher molecular weight, is not easily taken up by plant roots. However, it plays a key role in chelating nutrients in the soil.
Humic acid binds to nutrients in the soil that are not readily available to crops, chelating to these nutrients to make them more available for plant uptake. Fulvic acid then helps bring these nutrients into the plant, increasing overall plant health and preventing yield loss.
When included with a starter fertilizer or in sidedress applications, humic and fulvic acid enhance the nutrients in the fertilizer reducing earlier season stress and deficiencies. Getting a crop off to a healthy start is key to increasing plant health throughout the growing season and increasing yields at harvest.
Download Now our New Humic and Fulvic White Paper
Want to learn more about humic and fulvic acid? Dive deeper into the world of soil health and crop yield optimization by downloading our exclusive white paper. Gain insights into how these organic compounds act as nature's own fertilizers, enriching soil structure, enhancing nutrient availability, and fostering robust plant growth.
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