Fertilizer

1
Calcium Cycle
Fertilizer Ca(NO3)2 CaSO42H2O All P
Fertilizers
Lime CaO, Ca(OH)2 CaCO3 CaMg(CO3)2
Other Shells Slag Marl
Animals
Decomposition of Plant and Animal Residues
Ca2 removed As plant matter 4x in leaves vs.
grain
OFF
Moisture
Plants
OFF
ON
pH of Soil
ON
Uptake decreases with Presence of high Al3
Temporarily held on exchange sites, but tightly
held on charged soils
Higher availability of Ca2 Improves uptake of NH3
Soil Microbes
Mining
Major Form
OFF
Calcium Minerals Lime, Calcite, Dolomite, Gypsum,
Florapatite, Plagioclases, Gabbro, Basalts
Moisture
ON
Weathering (dissolution)
Click on ON or OFF To see how the cycle Is
effected by moisture
Leaching CaCl2, CaSO4
AuthersJason Warren, James Johnson, Derrel
White, Lori Gallimore and Micah Deleon
Main Cycle
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2
Fertilizer Ca(NO3)2 CaSO42H2O All P
Fertilizers
Lime CaO, Ca(OH)2 CaCO3 CaMg(CO3)2
Other Shells Slag Marl
Animals
Decomposition of Plant and Animal Residues
Ca2 removed As plant matter 4x in leaves vs.
grain
OFF
Moisture
Plants
OFF
ON
pH of Soil
ON
Uptake decreases with Presence of high Al3
Temporarily held on exchange sites, but tightly
held on charged soils
Higher availability of Ca2 Improves uptake of NH3
Soil Microbes
Major Form
Mining
OFF
Calcium Minerals Lime, Calcite, Dolomite, Gypsum,
Florapatite, Plagioclases, Gabbro, Basalts
Moisture
Moisture
ON
Weathering (dissolution)
Movement of calcium In the presents of moisture
Leaching CaCl2, CaSO4
Main Cycle
3
Fertilizer Ca(NO3)2 CaSO42H2O All P
Fertilizers
Lime CaO, Ca(OH)2 CaCO3 CaMg(CO3)2
Other Shells Slag Marl
Animals
Dissolution of Fertilizer,Lime and Other sources
of Ca2 can not occur
Decomposition of Plant and Animal Residues
Ca2 removed As plant matter 4x in leaves vs.
grain
OFF
Moisture
Plants
OFF
ON
pH of Soil
ON
Uptake decreases with Presence of high Al3
Temporarily held on exchange sites, but tightly
held on charged soils
Higher availability of Ca2 Improves uptake of NH3
Soil Microbes
Major Form
Mining
OFF
Calcium Minerals Lime, Calcite, Dolomite, Gypsum,
Florapatite, Plagioclases, Gabbro, Basalts
Moisture
ON
Weathering (dissolution)
Leaching CaCl2, CaSO4
Main Cycle
More Info
4
More Information on Calcium
Form taken up by plants
Deficiency symptoms
Effect of pH on availability
Mobility in soil
Sources of Calcium
Mobility in plant
Role of nutrient in plant growth
Mayo Clinic about Calcium and Osteoporosis
Role in microbial growth
  References
Interactions with other nutrients
Concentration in plants
Content present in soils
Main Cycle
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More Info. on Calcium

• Form taken up by plants
• Ca2
• Mobility in Soil
• No, slight mobility in soil solution
• Mobility in plant
• Movement occurs in xylem to the leaves (one
  way ticket)

Main Cycle
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More Info. on Calcium

• Role of nutrient in plant growth
• Required for cell wall rigidity, cell division
  of meristems and root tips, normal mitosis,
  membrane function, acts as a secondary
  messenger, aids in storage of phosphates in
  vacuoles, actively involved in photosynthesis and
  found in the endoplasmic reticulum
• Role in microbial growth
• Needed for Rhizobium and Azotobacter

Main Cycle
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7
More Info. on Calcium

• Interactions with other nutrients
• Since Ca2 is so directly related to pH in
  solution, it effects all of the other nutrients.
  When NO3-N is applied to soil, Ca2 absorption
  increases in the plant. Increases in Ca2 in
  soil decreases Al3 in acid soils, as well as
  decreasing Na in sodic soils. Increases in Ca2
  taken up by plants cause deficiencies of Mg2 and
  K. MoO4-2 and H2PO4- availability increases
  with increases in Ca2 concentrations.

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More Info. on Calcium

• Concentration in plants
• Fresh weight of plants typically contains
  0.1-5.0, can contain up to 10 dry weight in
  leaves before plant experiences toxicity
• Deficiency symptoms
• First seen in the younger leaves of plants, loss
  in plant structure, under extreme deficiencies
  gel-like conditions, root development no longer
  takes place, stunted plant growth

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More Info. on Calcium

• Content present in soils
• Tropical soils 0.1-0.3
• Temperate soils 0.7-1.5
• Calcareous soils gt3.0
• Largely dependent on parent material of soil and
  rainfall

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More Info. on Calcium

• Effect of pH on availability
• Depends on mineral
• Sources of Calcium
• Lime (CaO) (Ca(OH)2), Calcite (CaCO3), Dolomite
  (CaMg(CO3)2, Gypsum (CaSO4.2H2O), any Phosphorus
  fertilizer, Anorthite (CaAl2Si2O3), biotite,
  apatite, augite hornblende.

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More Info. On Calcium

• References
• Amjad, Z. (ed.) 1998. Calcium Phosphates in
  Biological and Industrial Systems. Klower
• Academic Press. Boston, MA.Lindsay, W.L. 1979.
  Chemical Equilibria in Soils. John Wiley Sons.
  New York, NY. pp. 86-102.
• Marschner, H. 1995. Mineral Nutrition of Higher
  Plants. Academic Press. New York, NY. pp.
  285-298.
• Tisdale, S.L., Nelson, W.L., Beaton, J.D. and
  Havlin, J.L. 1993. Soil Fertility and
  Fertilizers. Macmillan Publishing Company. pp.
  289-296.

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