Key Considerations for Cereal Crops

WHAT ARE CEREAL CROPS?

Cereal or grain crops are defined as, “agronomic crops that belong to the grass Gramineae family which are utilized as staples.” Cereal crops include a variety of different plants including wheat, rice, oats, barley, maize, rye, millet, corn, and sorghum.

NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT FOR CEREAL CROPS

Nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus are the three most important nutrients for successful growth in cereal crops. However, it isn’t enough to apply fertilizer and hope for the best. Cereals can only take up so much nitrogen and potassium, and any excess will simply be lost through fixation or leaching. For optimal results, both nitrogen and potassium need efficiency increases, like those provided by our nutrient use efficiency products listed above designed specifically for cereal crops.

By improving plant metabolism or reducing fixation, our lineup of nutrient use efficiency products can help increase nutrient uptake, getting your cereals more of the nutrients they need for optimal growth, and helping you maximize your fertilizer ROI.

CEREAL CROP SOIL AND TEMPERATURE REQUIREMENTS

Cereals can grow in many soils, but these crops do best in fertile soils that have a good structure and a subsoil porous enough for their deep roots.

Depending on the variety, cereal crops can be very sensitive to frost, so it’s important to plant in warm soil and harvest early before the weather turns.

PEST MANAGEMENT FOR CEREALS

Weeds commonly compete with wheat crops for resources, and all cereal crops are also highly susceptible to insect and disease damage. To combat pest and disease pressure, use herbicides, pesticides, and fungicides as part of an integrated pest management program.

Key Nutrients Cereal Crops Need

• Nitrogen —For yield, quality and to achieve max economic return, nitrogen is key. Apply nitrogen on cereal crops early for best results, but split applications can also be beneficial. However, more nitrogen applied to the soil doesn’t necessarily mean more uptake. Often, additional applications can increase Nitrogen lost to the soil, so finding ways to increase nitrogen efficiency can yield a greater ROI than fertilizer.
• Potassium — Needed almost as much as nitrogen, but most potassium is found in the leaves and other areas besides the seed. This is why, like nitrogen, potassium needs efficiency increases rather than more applied K.
• Phosphorus — Key for rapid, early growth as well as maturity and root growth.
• Zinc, Copper, Manganese and other micronutrients — Important, but not as critical for growth as N, P and K.