Calcium deficiency-Lettuce | Yara United States

Symptoms
With calcium deficiency growth of lettuce is reduced and leaves are more wavy than normal. Starting on leaf margins or tips of young leaves, brown or grey lesions develop. This symptom is called 'tip-burn'. With progressing Ca-deficiency the leaves begin to die from tips and margins inwards. Next the symptoms spread over the older leaves. The dead leaf tissue is greyish green. If calcium deficiency occurs during early stage of development, growth is severely stunted and no heads are formed.

Reasons
Severe Calcium Deficiency Symptoms may be confused with boron deficiency, which also starts on the youngest leaves. But boron deficiency is much more concentrated on the growing point and no lesions are spread over the leaves.

Lettuce - Deformation

Symptoms
With calcium deficiency growth of lettuce is reduced, leaves are dark green and more wavy than normal. Then, starting on leaf margins or tips of young leaves, brown or grey lesions develop. This symptom is called 'tip-burn'. With progressing Ca-deficiency the leaves begin to die from tips and margins inwards and the symptoms spread over the older leaves. The dead leaf tissue is greyish green. If calcium deficiency occurs during early stage of development, growth is severely stunted and no heads are formed.

Lettuce - Die off

Symptoms
With calcium deficiency roots are short and very much ramified. They look scrubby and sometimes slimy and are brown in color. Particulary the root tips turn black.

Reasons
Calcium deficiency on roots (left-hand side) compared to healthy roots

Lettuce - Size reduced

Symptoms
With calcium deficiency roots are short and very much ramified. They look scrubby and sometimes slimy and are brown in color. Particulary the root tips turn black. The greenish discoloration is no symptom of Ca- deficiency. Seemingly the pots with nutrient solution let some light inside, which causes green color.

Reasons
Calcium deficiency on roots (right side) compared to healthy roots (left side).

Lettuce - Discolouration

Symptoms
With calcium deficiency roots of lettuce are short and very much ramified. They look scrubby, sometimes slimy, and are brown in color. Particulary the root tips turn black. Boron deficiency causes poorly developed roots too. They also look scrubby, as a great many of very short, branched secondary roots arise. Roots show browning and die off with severe deficiency.

Reasons
Calcium deficiency on roots (middle) compared to boron deficieny (right) and to optimum supply (left)

Lettuce - Deformation

Symptoms
With calcium deficiency growth of lettuce is reduced and leaves are more wavy than normal. Young leaves show fade brown necrosis on their leaf tips or leaf margins. This symptom is called 'tip-burn'.

Reasons
Calcium Deficiency

Lettuce - Deformation

Reasons
Calcium Deficiency

Calcium deficiency made worse by

Acidic soils
Sandy or light soils (leaching)
Acid peat soils
Soils rich in sodium
Soils rich in aluminium
Drought conditions
Fruit high in nitrogen or potassium
Large fruit

Calcium is important for

Proper head formation without tipburn
Promotes root development
Better shelf life

Yara recommended fertilizers for Calcium

YaraLiva® CALCINIT™15.5-0-0

Lettuce (field grown): Apply 375-1000 lbs YaraLiva® Calcinit® 15.5-0-0 19 Ca/acre in split applications according to yield potential and soil test. Apply no more than 25% N needs at planting. Apply the remainder in side dress applications via fertigation. Utilizing YaraLiva® Calcinit® for part or all of the nitrogen needs supplies the crop with fast acting nitrate nitrogen and will provide soluble calcium in proper ratio with nitrate nitrogen. Calcium is important in reducing tip burn, and producing crunchy lettuce with a good shelf life. Consult with your agronomist for local recommendations.

Read more about YaraLiva® CALCINIT™15.5-0-0

YaraLiva® CAN-17™

Lettuce (field grown): Apply up to 350-950 lbs YaraLiva® CAN-17/acre in split applications according to yield potential and soil test. Apply no more than 25% N needs at planting. Apply the remainder in side dress applications via fertigation. Utilizing YaraLiva® CAN-17 for part or all of the nitrogen needs supplies the crop with fast acting nitrate nitrogen and since CAN-17 contains 8.8% Calcium it will provide soluble calcium in proper ratio with nitrate nitrogen. Calcium is important in reducing tip burn, and producing crunchy lettuce with a good shelf life. Consult with your agronomist for local recommendations.

YaraLiva® CN-9®

Lettuce (field grown): Apply up to 375-1775 lbs YaraLiva® CN-9® 9-0-0 11 Ca/acre in split applications according to yield potential and soil test. Apply no more than 25% N needs at planting. Apply the remainder in side dress applications via fertigation. Utilizing YaraLiva® CN-9® for part or all of the nitrogen needs supplies the crop with fast acting nitrate nitrogen and will provide soluble calcium in proper ratio with nitrate nitrogen. Calcium is important in reducing tip burn, and producing crunchy lettuce with a good shelf life. Consult with your agronomist for local recommendations.

YaraLiva® TROPICOTE®

Lettuce (field grown): Apply 375-1000 lbs YaraLiva® Tropicote® 15.5-0-0 19 Ca/acre in split applications according to yield potential and soil test. Apply no more than 25% N needs at planting. Apply the remainder in side dress applications. Utilizing YaraLiva® Tropicote® for part or all of the nitrogen needs supplies the crop with fast acting nitrate nitrogen and will provide soluble calcium in proper ratio with nitrate nitrogen. Calcium is important in reducing tip burn, and producing crunchy lettuce with a good shelf life. Consult with your agronomist for local recommendations.

YaraVita® CALTRAC™

Lettuce (field grown): 1-2 quarts/acre applied 10 to 14 days after transplanting or emergence. Repeat as necessary at 10 to 14 day intervals. Note: Late applications may leave a deposit on the crop. Water rate: 5 to 50 gallons/acre.

YaraVita® SENIPHOS™

Lettuce (field grown): 2 to 4 quarts per acre 2 weeks after transplanting or for direct sown crops at the 4 to 6 leaf stage. Repeat as necessary at 7 to 14 day intervals. Water rate: 20 to 50 gallons/acre

YaraVita® STOPIT™

Lettuce (field grown): 2 to 3 applications of 1-2 quarts/acre commencing 10 to14 days after transplanting or emergence with 10 to 14 day intervals between applications. Water rate: 5 to 50 gallons/acre.

NUTRA-PHOS CALZINC

Lettuce (field grown): 2 to 10 lb. per acre per application. Make several applications at intervals of 2 to 3 weeks starting at thinning period. Apply aerial applications in at least 5 gallons/acre and ground applications in at least 10 gallons/acre; however, when total application gallonage is 25 gallons per acre or less, DO NOT mix more than 1 lb. of this product per gallon of water.