Nutrition impacts grain yield and quality

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Soil restoration is emerging as a key factor in boosting agricultural productivity and reducing yield gaps. Specialists from INTA (National Institute of Agricultural Technology) point out that the approach must be comprehensive and that simply adjusting fertilizers is not enough.

Currently, there is a marked difference between potential dryland yields and actual yields in different agricultural areas. In the case of wheat in southern Buenos Aires province, the gap between potential dryland yield and actual yield ranges from 35% to 50%, equivalent to 2.5 and 3.5 tons per hectare, respectively. According to Hernán Sainz Rozas, a specialist at INTA Balcarce, part of this difference is linked to inadequate nutrition, in addition to environmental conditions and soil degradation.

One of the critical points is the efficiency in the use of nutrients, especially nitrogen, a central element to achieve better yields and quality in crops, explained Sainz Rozas.

“Nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur, and zinc are fundamental because they directly impact both yield and grain quality,” he stated. According to data presented by the technician, the response to nitrogen and phosphorus fertilization can vary between 10 and 30 kilograms and between 10 and 50 kilograms of grain per kilogram of nutrient applied, respectively, depending on soil availability and the application rates.

In the case of sulfur, the productive responses are between 120 and 240 kilos of grain per kilo applied, while for zinc, increases of between 300 and 600 kilos per hectare are recorded when the levels in the soil are less than 1 ppm (parts per million) and doses of between 0.5 and 1 kilo per hectare are applied.

The specialist emphasized that nutritional deficiencies not only affect yield but also the efficiency with which crops utilize other nutrients. “Sulfur deficiency significantly reduces nitrogen use efficiency and also limits protein and gluten content, key variables for baking quality,” explained Sainz Rozas, adding that “something similar occurs with zinc, whose deficiency reduces phosphorus use efficiency.”

Furthermore, they considered balanced fertilization to be a key tool for maximizing productivity and optimizing resource use. Therefore, they emphasized the importance of conducting soil analyses and monitoring to adjust recommendations according to each specific production environment.

In that regard, Sainz Rozas pointed out that monitoring during the crop cycle using vegetation sensors or satellite images is especially important for mobile nutrients such as nitrogen, whose availability and crop demand change throughout the season.

The production cost of compaction
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Beyond nutrition, INTA is focusing on another problem that is silently advancing: the physical degradation of soils. “If the soil is compacted, rainwater does not infiltrate properly and fertilizers cannot be used by crops,” the specialist warned.

According to the report, the deterioration associated with the agricultural process has a significant impact on nutrient use efficiency. In soils with good physical quality, nitrogen use efficiencies of approximately 12 kilograms of grain per kilogram of nitrogen applied are recorded. However, in compacted fields, this value can drop to as low as 4 kilograms of grain per kilogram of nutrient.

According to the technician, maintaining productivity requires a holistic approach to systems. Nutrient replenishment and fine-tuning of fertilization must be complemented by strategies aimed at restoring soil health. These include intensifying crop rotations to increase carbon sequestration and using strategic tillage practices to reverse soil compaction.

INTA’s current lines of work also include the diagnosis of nutrient deficiencies that were not historically considered limiting, such as potassium, calcium or boron, in addition to liming strategies to mitigate acidification and the use of cover crops.

“The goal is to generate information and technologies adapted to each region to move towards more sustainable agriculture, with higher levels of productivity and a more efficient use of resources,” said the INTA specialist.

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