In the pursuit of better and bigger crops, farming is becoming more technologically advanced and capital intensive. The need to find ways to save money, while continuing to reach for those high yield goals, is more important than ever for Canadian producers. If this sounds like a conundrum that you’re facing, soil testing might be the answer.

Chloride (Cl) is required in small quantities but is very active in plant cells. It acts with potassium to regulate stomatal openings in the leaves, controlling internal water balance, and functions in cation balance and transport. Chloride is effective in suppressing and lessening the effect of fungal infections and can advance maturity of small grains in some soils.

It’s a micronutrient needed only in small amounts, but iron (Fe) plays a critical role in photosynthesis, helping to keep crops green, healthy and thriving.

Iron is involved in chlorophyll development and plays a role in energy transfer, metabolism and respiration. It is also important for the structure and function of proteins and enzymes and can increase nitrogen fixation and use.

Molybdenum (Mo) is a trace element but it has a big job. A good, albeit small, supply of molybdenum improves nitrogen uptake and conversion in plants. 

Playing a key role in a wide range of processes within the plant, boron (B) is a micronutrient that is essential to crop health.

It is important to the cellular structure of the plant, contributing to cell wall formation and stability. It is a factor in cell division and elongation, protein synthesis, metabolism and transport of sugars and starches, hormone formation, and nodule development in legumes. Given its role as an integral component of the cell wall, boron is involved in the wound healing process, repairing cell walls damaged by hail or by chewing insects.