Manganese options for Southeast crops, and more importantly, why!

by Dr. J. Julian Smith, PhD, President, CZO Agronomics, LLC

As a father of four kids, you are always taught not to have favorites. However, as a plant physiologist/pathologist, I have to come clean…..Manganese is the one, as far as micronutrients go, for me. Manganese is a rock star in the crop production world when fully appreciated and often underutilized because of conventional approaches to plant nutrition as dictated by establishment “rules.”

To fully appreciate my approach, you have to discard the conventional wisdom associated with micronutrient essentials – to identify a deficiency might make a good agronomist, grey spot in oats and marsh spot in peas (seen both and prescribed accordingly) but to be an outstanding agronomist and service provider you will hope to never see a nutrient deficiency! Once seen, a deficiency means yield is lost forever. In many instances, the twilight zone of visual to temporary (transient, non-visual) symptoms is a fine line, and maximal crop production is compromised just as with visual symptom appearance.

CAUTION: Most soil and tissue tests can be a guide, but are often poorly calibrated to advise on modern genetics and crop production practices. Use sense, local history, and more importantly, knowledge of genetic traits to provide solid field advice.