Zinc Deficiency Threatens Wheat and Barleyโค Yields in argentina’s Pampasโข Region
La Plata, September 12 (infogei) – A โrecent survey revealsโ a concerning decline in zinc levels within the soils of Argentina’s Pampas region,โฃ particularlyโ impacting the south of Buenos Aires province, perhaps jeopardizing wheat and barley production. Theโข study, conducted by the Balcarce โขIntegrated Unit – a collaboration โbetween INTA, โฃCONICET, and the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences – indicates thatโ 33% of โanalyzedโค agricultural lots exhibit zinc concentrations below 0.80 โparts โขperโ million โ(PPM), a level considered critical for optimal yields.
The deficiency, previouslyโค concentrated in northern regions, is โnow expanding southward, prompting agricultural specialists to โขreassess diagnostic and management โฃstrategies. “Today zinc โbegins toโ be a limiting factor in โareas where it had never been, โwhich forces toโ rethink diagnostic and management strategies,”โค statedโฃ Hernรกn Sainz Rozas, a specialist at โคINTA โฃBalcarce.
Without zinc fertilization,โ yield losses could range from 5% to 15%. For example, a field with 0.75 ppm of zinc aiming for a 7,000-kilo-per-hectare yield could experienceโ a reduction of up โขto 840 kilos -โ a loss considerably exceeding the estimated replacement cost of โ$18 to $20 per hectare.
Researchers โrecommend proactive soilโฃ analysis, specifically determining extractable โzinc levels at a depth โof 20 cm, utilizing 25 to 35 subsamples per โคlot to โensure accurate representation. Zinc โcan be applied through solid mixtures, liquids, seedโ treatments, or foliar applications, with a โคgrowing โtrend towardsโ combining itโ with โphosphorus to enhance distribution and absorption.
Nahuel Reussi Calvo, aโ researcher at CONICET and UNMDP, emphasizedโข zinc’s crucialโข role in key physiologicalโข functions like photosynthesis and protein synthesis, adding that its absence also diminishesโค the efficiency of nitrogen andโค phosphorus โutilization.
INTA data confirms thatโค twoโฃ out of three Pampas soils now exhibit medium or low zinc โขlevels. โSainz Rozas concluded, “Investing in clever diagnosisโข and replacementโฃ is essential to avoid losses โคand sustain the competitiveness โขof the region.”