Megalab leads the way
Phosyn, international specialists in crop nutrition, are New Zealand´s leading supplier of quality foliar nutrition products. The product range is used across a wide range of horticultural and arable crops. All Phosyn products are fully researched to assess performance and crop benefits to improve quality and yield of crops and ultimately profitability for the grower. A new high-tech innovation from Phosyn is the development of Megalab to further assist New Zealand growers to grow quality crops.
Megalab Interpretation
Megalab is a computerised database developed by Phosyn to give an interpretation and recommendation from analysis results. Nutrient guidelines were developed over many years to look at optimum nutrient levels so that the crop can be monitored right through the season. Megalab interpretation is a free Internet based service available exclusively from Phosyn to give their customers precise interpretation and recommendations from analysis. Last season saw more than 3000 analysis results go through the Megalab service. These included apple and kiwifruit fruitlets, also tissue (leaf/petiole) samples from all the major crops grown in New Zealand.
Nutrient Levels
Fruitlet, leaf and petiole analysis results last season, for many crops, were often indicating low levels. This could be due to low nutrient levels in the soil, possibly from leaching, or soil nutrients may not be in a readily soluble form. Incorrect pH can also inhibit nutrient uptake as can chemical interaction between nutrients. Also hot dry weather, drought, cold weather and wet soils can inhibit uptake. Not all crops, or indeed varieties within a crop, react to a low level of nutrient supply in the same way. In any one crop the "key" nutrients may change throughout the crop cycle. One of the best examples of this is boron before and during the flowering period, when the demand is markedly higher.
The Importance of Analysis
Analysis is very important as it helps identify your nutrient problems and ensures you obtain the right products to maximise both quality and yield of your crop. Visible nutrient deficiency symptoms often do not need to show themselves in a crop before losses can occur. In most cases, treatments of visible deficiencies take place too late to avoid some loss in yield and quality.
Author: Michael Waites, New Zealand
Published: October 2000