Help Your Crop Reach Maturity Faster

The growing season is already upon us and some folks are still harvesting last year’s crop or dealing with wet and soggy ground. Soils are also still cold. As I write this, the thermometer is indicating temperature below the ideal 5 degrees Celsius, and the forecast is calling for wind from the north to north east.

Soil temperature has many implications on nutrient availability to seedlings and emergence. For example, until soil temperatures reach at least 12 degrees Celsius, phosphorus, potassium and zinc are unavailable to the seed. The uptake of manganese, another important micronutrient for plant growth, is also impeded by cold soil.

OMEX Primers® were developed to provide the seed with enough nutrients to carry it to the 3–5 leaf stage when the root system is fully developed. These products are formulated to help the crop emerge quicker, better compete with weeds and access soil banded fertilizer early on.

The old saying “one day in the spring equates two in the fall” remains true. I remember on our own farm in Alberta how important maturity was. Last fall’s challenges are a testament to how imperative it is to seed early and have the crop go from one stage to the next without stalling. To that end, primers set the crop moving through its cycle toward maturity faster.

OMEX Primers were formulated with phosphorus, potassium and zinc but also contain other essential nutrients such as manganese and copper, or calcium. Multiples factors justify this formulation:

• Zinc is important for germination and early season growth,
• Manganese is key for promoting root growth and triggering plant defense responses,
• Calcium is essential for building good cell structure and promoting nodulation,
• Copper has the ability to help fend off diseases and support the effect of the fungicide seed treatments,
• Prairie soils are becoming deficient in most of these elements,
• High bushels harvested with less-than-optimum fertility lead to a low nutrient density in the seed,
• Most of these nutrients are not readily available to the crop at seeding time due to the cold and/or wet conditions,

OMEX offers a line of seven primers, each expertly developed to meet the specific nutritional needs of crops like cereals, oilseeds, soybeans and pulses, with unique blends of micro- and macronutrients. Give us a call today to find out more about selecting the right OMEX Primer® to get your crop off to a great start this season.