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Calcium (Ca) is the backbone of every living organism, including plants. Although a plant’s needs for calcium can be as high as its needs for nitrogen and potassium, it is classified as a secondary nutrient. In this post, we examine the importance of calcium and the factors that can limit its availability to plants. As […]

It has been over a decade since the discovery of how plants take up and re-translocate silica (Si), one of the most abundant elements on earth. Further focus on the element has revealed that it plays an important role in alleviating the effects of biotic and abiotic stress; however, still much remains to be understood. […]

Of the sixteen nutrients that plants need to grow, develop, reproduce and remain healthy, there are seven that we refer to as micronutrients: zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), manganese (Mn), iron (Fe), boron (B), chloride (Cl) and molybdenum (Mo). While these nutrients are used in minute amounts, they are just as important to plant growth and […]

As we discussed in our previous blog post, plants require large amounts of macronutrients to grow and thrive. The secondary nutrients – calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg) and sulfur (S) – are just as vital to plant growth and development, though they are required in lesser amounts than the macros. Like the macros, the secondaries each […]

Plants require a total of 16 nutrients to grow, develop, reproduce and remain healthy. Three of these nutrients – nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) – are required in relatively large amounts. These are known as macronutrients. Existing in a delicate balance with each other, the macronutrients each have a big role to play […]

Knowing what makes crops emerge, grow and flourish is one thing; finding the right balance is a whole other story! In this post, the first in our series on the relationship between nutrients, we take a look at what happens when an over-abundance of one element causes a deficiency of another. Plants require a total […]

2019 marks the 350th anniversary of Henning Brand’s discovery of phosphorus, making this the perfect opportunity to reflect on our relationship with the element: what was our farming like without it, how did it change our current farming practices and how should we manage it to preserve its sustainability? Known as “the Devil’s element”, phosphorus […]

All crops can be sensitive to heat stress, especially during the flowering stage. Even short periods of heat stress during flowering and grain fill can cause substantial yield losses. Flowering, one of the most important stages in a crop’s life cycle, often happens during the hottest days of summer. As the plant is shifting the […]

One of the realities of farming on the Prairies is having to deal with intense and often unpredictable weather, including hail. On average, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta see more severe thunderstorms and hailstorms than any other region in Canada. During peak hail season – the warm months of June through September – Prairie farmers will […]

Just as we find it hard to do our best work when we’re stressed out, crops can suffer from a range of stressful conditions, which can cause poor growth and development, stalling and yield loss. To help crops better tolerate stresses caused by weather, soil conditions, insects, diseases and herbicide application, OMEX has developed Stress […]