The Strawberry Newsletter

March 2022

Subscribe

The initial phase of strawberry growth is critical and sets the stage for optimal crop production and maximum yield potential. Providing the crop with the most favorable nutrition program makes all the difference in forming a strong root system which will help produce more crowns and better strawberries in the future. There are two essential nutrients for successful plant establishment and early strawberry growth that we will discuss in the following paragraphs; nitrogen and calcium.

Nitrogen

  • Nitrogen is essential for strawberry growth being one of the main building blocks of proteins. It is important for green leaf and fruit production, maximizing photosynthetic assimilation leading to high strawberry yields.
  • During the phase of establishment and early plant development, nitrogen plays a major role in cell division, growth of new tissues and root system development.
  • During these early stages, it is of most importance to keep in mind which nutrients are readily available (soluble) in the soil for use and simple for the plant to metabolize.
  • Nitrate nitrogen (NO3) is the preferred form for uptake by the plant, so nitrate-nitrogen should be the main form of nitrogen applied.

Calcium

  • Calcium plays a key role in maintaining the physiological stability of plant tissue ensuring good plant structure and health. For example, calcium builds strong cell walls and is vital to cell membrane integrity and permeability.
  • Early calcium nutrition supports root development and crop establishment, including the growth of young leaves, buds and crown expansion.
  • In addition, calcium helps improve the plant’s tolerance to early diseases and environmental stresses.
  • Plants required a continuous supply of calcium for root growth. Roots do poorly in soils with low levels of soluble (plant-available) calcium. A better root system means better access to nutrients and water.
  • Also, continuous calcium applications help maintain good soil structure to improve water infiltration, aeration and soil crusting issues.

root growth and calcium graph.png

Crop Nutrition Tactics

Not all nitrogen sources are the same. Calcium nitrate is a source of nitrogen and calcium that encourages root development. Research shows that calcium nitrate has a significantly better effect on root development than ammonium nitrate. A consistent supply of calcium nitrate is directly related to early growth and the overall strength and health of a strawberry crop.

AN vs CN pictures web.png

ammonium nitrate + other Ca source (left); YaraLiva CN-9 treatment (right)

With fully soluble calcium and nitrate-nitrogen, YaraLiva® Calcium Nitrate products guarantee these critical nutrients are quickly and efficiently available to crops.

Plants treated with YaraLiva fertilizers are naturally healthier and less sensitive to stress during early growth. Then, critically, in the build-up to harvest, YaraLiva calcium nitrate fertilizers improve the size, strength and appearance of the fruit. (Learn more about these products: YaraLiva® CAN-17™, YaraLiva® CALCINIT™, and YaraLiva® CN-9®).

Soluble calcium is required to meet strawberry crop demand and although there is usually a sufficient supply of calcium in our soils, not all of it is readily available for plant use.

Highly soluble calcium is present in YaraLiva calcium nitrate, immediately available for plant uptake, unlike other more insoluble forms. Watch the video below to learn more about calcium availability for strawberry plants.

yaraliva-can-17-strawberry-video

Farmers traditionally fertilize fruit and vegetable crops with UAN-32. However, UAN does not provide soluble calcium, essential for root and shoot growth and for good soil structure, and for overall plant growth, even under environmental stress conditions. Watch video.

 

Don't forget the micronutrients!

YaraTera® CANMIX™ is a line of soil-applied liquid micronutrients specially formulated for outstanding tank compatibility with YaraLiva liquid calcium nitrate fertilizers. YaraTera CANMIX, when combined with YaraLiva calcium nitrate, increases nutrient availability to the plant, encouraging early root production and successful crop establishment of strawberries.

Reach out to your local Yara Agronomist to learn more about using YaraTera CANMIX for strawberry establishment and how to best utilize Yara products in your comprehensive nutrition program.

Listen to our Podcast

Calcium is Critical for Short and Long Term Plant Health and Production

 

 

In this podcast, we unfold the 4R's of Nutrient Stewardship with calcium and discuss how, if applied properly, your overall input cost can be reduced while improving your crop's quality and yield in a sustainable way.

Yara CheckIT™ App

Use Yara's CheckIT App from your mobile phone to assess the status of your strawberry crop.

yara-checkit-iphone website.png

Download on the App Store

Download on Google Play

 

Patricia Dingus
Regional Sales Manager

Central Coastal California

(805) 765-7446
Eddie Muro
Sales Agronomist

Central Coastal California

(805) 215-6981
Sebastian Korob
Regional Market Development Manager

West Region

(424) 645-4047

See previous issues

Prepare your Strawberry Crop for the Unpredictable Winter Months

Late Season Strawberry Crop Nutrition Strategy

Boost Growth with Foliar Nutrition

Subscribe to the Yara Strawberry Newsletters & More

Fill out this form to receive Yara's Strawberry Newsletter and other crop nutrition advice for berry crops from Yara in your inbox. *Required field.

By providing information to one or more of the Yara Companies on this form, you acknowledge, agree, and understand that:

  • Your consent is not required as a condition of purchasing any goods or services from any Yara Company;

  • the information that you provide to any of the Yara Companies on this form: (i) will be stored and kept by one or more of the Yara Companies; (ii) will be used to contact you in order to keep you informed about products, services, promotions, offers, events, and other matters that one or more of the Yara Companies believe may interest you; and (iii) may be shared by such Yara Companies, now or in the future;

  • one or more of the Yara Companies may send commercial electronic messages (including email to the email address you provide and text messages to the phone number you provide), and you expressly consent to the sending of such commercial electronic messages (and acknowledge that message and data rates may apply); and

  • you can email the Yara Companies at yaraus@yara.com or send a letter to Yara North America, Inc., 100 North Tampa Street, Suite 3200, Tampa, Florida, 33602, Attention: Marketing Department, if you would like to (i) know what information the Yara Companies have stored about you; (ii) correct any information the Yara Companies have about you; (iii) cancel any subscriptions to mailing lists or distribution lists of any of the Yara Companies; (iv) stop the Yara Companies from sending text messages to the phone number you provide; (v) stop the Yara Companies from sending email to the email address you provide; (vi) stop the Yara Companies from sending mail to the address you provide; (vii) request the removal of your information from the systems of any of the Yara Companies; or (viii) ask any other questions regarding the collection or use of your information by any of the Yara Companies.

By submitting this form you confirm that you have been informed that we store, collect, process, and manage your data in accordance with our Privacy Policy, and that you agree to the terms and conditions of our Privacy Policy, that you should review in full. The consent is written in the English language, and to the extent any translated versions conflict with the English language version, the English language version shall control.