June 2019 - 11

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Calcium in Permanent Fruit Crops
OMEX® USA and Levity Crop Science
form partnership with Levity's
LimiN and LoCal technology. In
OMEX®
Cell Power®
Cell Power®
SizeN®
Power® Calcium Platinum.
Calcium is an important nutrient
in fruit crops, but the majority of
Ca applied by growers goes to
waste. Let's explore why.
There are three golden rules to
remember in calcium nutrition,
once learned they can form the
best practices on a crop.
1. Crops cannot store excess Ca.
2. Calcium can only move up.
3. Calcium can only be absorbed
if there is auxin
Let's look at each point and apply
it to permanent crops.
Plants can't store excess Calcium
Unlike potassium and many other
nutrients, plants have no capacity
to store reserves of Calcium. Ca
is stored in calmodulin proteins
between the cell wall and cell
membrane, once these Ca
storage sites are all occupied the
plant ejects any extra calcium
as it is not beneficial to plants to
have free calcium in cytosol. This
means that plants precipitate
out large amounts of calcium
oxalate from leaves, even when
there are calcium deficiency
symptoms on fruit.
It is also the reason that tissue
tests are a poor way of assessing
need for Ca in fruit crops: A.
Leaf analysis tells us little about
fruit tissue content which is
usually a local problem and, B.
the difference between sufficient
Ca and a problem like bitter pit
(in apples) is only 2ppm which
is outside of analytical test
method tolerances.
Calcium can only move up
Calcium is not phloem mobile,
meaning that plants cannot easily
mobilize it and move it from
one place to another.
Instead
Calcium moves through the
Xylem with water transpiration.
This means Calcium follows water
through plants from the roots to
the places of highest water loss
(usually the foliage at the top
and
Calcium Gold and Cell
of the plant). This is why there
is usually a difference observed
between the shady half of a fruit
and the sunny half). It is also
why any conditions effecting
water transport such as drought,
waterlogging and wind can lead
to worsening calcium related
quality problems.
By Dr. David Marks, Levity Crop Science
When we use OMEX®
SizeN®
Cell Power®
we encourage good root
activity, and do not create a source
sink imbalance. Good growth habit
is the first key to good fruit quality.
LoCal is another Levity technology.
Cell Power®
Cell Power®
Calcium can only be absorbed if
auxin is present
Calcium transport into cells is
directly related to auxin content
in plant tissue, as calcium
transport is governed by polar
auxin transport. This means that
there are places in crops that can
not absorb calcium properly no
matter how much is applied.
To understand how this
effects fruit crops we need to
understand when and where
fruit produces auxin. Auxin is
a growth hormone involved in
cell division, so only new tissue
has a good content. When fruits
are small they are producing
lots of new cells, and have good
auxin content and good ability
to absorb applied Ca. However
when the fruit gets over 4mm in
size it has all its cells and shifts
to cell expansion, whereby the
ability to absorb Ca decreases
rapidly. This means that young
fruit can absorb Ca well, but
mature fruit struggle.
So what can we do to help with
fruit quality? We can work with
the crops physiology to support
better calcium nutrition
OMEX®
Cell Power®
SizeN®
Ca combines Levity's LimiN
chemistry with calcium. The
product emphasizes root
growth and a good compact
growth habit which is vital to
fruit trees ability to supply
Calcium to fruit. Remember Ca
moves up from active root tips
to vegetative growth at the top
(through transpiration stream),
and is absorbed mostly in the
actively growing parts. When
trees receive standard N sources
we see reduced root growth
and too much focus on apical
shoot growth. This means that
a huge Ca sink is created at the
top of the tree which effectively
diverts Ca away from developing
flowers and fruit.
Calcium Gold and
Calcium Platinum,
containing LoCal technology,
allows parts of plants low in auxin
to properly absorb Ca where they
would normally have a low ability
to do so. Calcium fertilizers Cell
Power®
Calcium Gold and Cell
Power® Calcium Platinum) that
use LoCal technology can supply
calcium to fruit very effectively,
preventing disorders like bitter
pit in apples. Best timing in any
fruit crop for Ca applications is
a foliar spray between flowering
and fruit setting.
OMEX® USA Cell Power®
Gold and Cell Power®
Calcium
Calcium
Platinum formulated products
we can use as little as 2 x 1pint/
acre and see better results
than any amount of standard
foliar calcium products regards
correcting physiological disorders.
For fruit firmness late season
applications are very effective,
where conventional products will
see little or no benefit as fruit
can't absorb Ca from conventional
sources when mature.
Recommendations
Almonds - Cell Power®
SizeN®
Ca applied as a dormant spray (1%
solution to soak bark) 1-4 weeks
before bud break.
Then Cell Power®
SizeN®
K 4
applications at 2 Quarts/acre.
Applications through drip to keep
roots alive, a good shape, and
high fruit load.
3 applications at 1Pint/Acre
application. Cell Power®
Gold and Cell Power®
Calcium
Calcium
Platinum formulation at
flowering, top up after 2 weeks,
then 1 more ahead of harvest.
This will reduce shell seal
breakdown and increase yield.
Apples, Pears
Cell Power®
SizeN®
K applied
through drip regularly through
season, 4 applications at 2 Quarts
per application. This will allow a
reduction in total N applied from
other sources, and will increase
fruit load and size. Can also be
applied foliar at 2 quarts/acre.
5 applications at 2 pints/acre.
Cell Power®
Cell Power®
Calcium Gold and
Calcium Platinum
formulation at flowering, top up
after two weeks. Then 2-3 further
applications through the season.
This will dramatically reduce bitter
pit and russetting.
Stone fruit/Cherries
Cell Power®
SizeN®
4 applications
at 2 quarts/acre application.
Applications through drip to keep
roots alive, a good shape, and
high fruit load.
3 applications at 1pint/acre per
application. Cell Power®
Calcium
Gold and Cell Power®
Calcium
Platinum formulation at flowering,
top up after 2 weeks, then 1 more
ahead of harvest. Will reduce
cracking and increase yield.
Table Grapes
Cell Power®
SizeN®
Ca applied as a
dormant spray (1% solution to soak
bark) 1-4 weeks before bud break.
Cell Power®
SizeN®
K 4 applications
at 2 quarts/acre per application.
Applications through drip to keep
roots alive, a good shape, and high
fruit load. Shift to Cell Power®
SizeN®
K after first application.
3 applications at 1pint/acre per
application. Cell Power®
Gold and Cell Power®
Calcium
Platinum formulation at flowering,
top up after 2 weeks, then 1
more ahead of harvest. This will
improve berry size, reduce 'Hen
and chickens' giving better bunch
shape, and improve shelf life.
For more information on
products please contact
OMEX®
Agrifluids at
OMEXUSA@OMEX.com
or call 559-661-6138.
Calcium
June 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of June 2019
