The importance of phosphorus in organic crops

Phosphorus is one of the essential nutrients our crops need. It enables photosynthesis to take place, helps the transport and absorption of other essential nutrients and is crucial for the decomposition of carbohydrates and the formation of proteins. In addition, like nitrogen, it promotes root development at the beginning of the plant growth cycle.

As a primary nutrient, it is commonly scarce in agricultural production and crops, and is therefore needed in large quantities. That is why its external supply is essential at the fruiting stage, as it improves rooting and flowering, and increases yield and harvest.

A deficit of this macronutrient will result in a smaller and poorer quality crop, in addition to delayed root growth and flowering. This lack will be felt in the green organs, affecting their growth, reproduction and reserves. This will cause a delay in their ripening and result in significant losses. Therefore, it is vital to add the right amount to ensure good growth. 

However, the use of this nutrient in organic farming until now was very complex, and very few products on the market could offer an optimal and effective solution due to three main factors:

• Many of the fertilizers on the market are not very efficient and effective, as they are solid products, difficult to handle.
• There is little availability of raw materials allowed in organic farming, and many do not dissolve easily.
• The restrictions of the UNE ORGANIC standard are increasingly demanding, so many products have lost their certification.

HEROGRA ESPECIALES has created HEROPHOS-K ECO, a natural product based on phosphorus, calcium and potassium. It boosts the rooting, flowering and fruit setting stages, promotes fruit fattening and ripening, increases production and promotes greater resistance to stress conditions. In addition, it is certified for Organic Agriculture (CAAE) under the UNE 142500 standard. Its advantages are the following:

• High concentration of nutrients with low dosage.
• Stability of nutrients in different conditions.
• Easy handling and efficient dosing, disperses well in water.
• Optimum nutrient absorption due to organic components.
• Free of phosphonates and heavy metals. 
• It beats stress thanks to its betaines and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) content.

The following is a test on lettuce in a growth chamber to assess leaf and root growth in lettuce crops under controlled conditions. Finally, the application of HEROPHOS-K increases the leaf and root biomass of the crop.