Formulated for Success: Chelation Improves Foliar Micronutrient Applications

Even though they are required in small quantities, micronutrients play a crucial role in plant health. They contribute to the plant's structure, aid in nutrient absorption and facilitate essential enzymatic processes. Each micronutrient has its own agronomic function, but they all share the need to be readily available to the plant at the right time. 

An issue that many micronutrient products face is plant incompatibility, says Kurt Gabrielson, vice president of research and development for Koch Agronomic Services (KAS). Many micronutrients are metal cations with a positively charged ion, so they tend to get fixed in the soil. Once applied, they become tied up with other minerals, making them inaccessible to the plant.

A solution to this problem is to chelate these micronutrient products, making them water-soluble and readily accessible for the plant to absorb. 

The chelating agents form complexes with the micronutrients, improving their solubility and protecting them from reacting with other compounds in the soil that would make them unavailable to the plant.

This happens when the chelates bond with metal ions, binding to them on at least two sites. In the case of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid better known as EDTA chelation, the chelate forms a cage structure around the micronutrient ion. This shields the micronutrient ion from other interactions in the soil, protecting it from interacting with loose soil ions, oxidizing and becoming unavailable to the plant. By neutralizing the charge on the metal ion, the chelate makes the neutral molecule more accessible to the plant. 

Chelation offers the same benefit in a foliar application as neutral molecules are more accessible for a plant to absorb through its stomata. In a chelated formulation, the micronutrients are slowly released and more easily move through the plant through translocation and mass flow.

Chelated Micronutrients Can Improve Operational Efficiency

Aside from the agronomic wins, a major consideration is the operational benefit of having chelated micronutrients in a formulation.

Because micronutrients are charged molecules, they tend to coordinate with surface-active agents and other formulations in a tank mix, causing precipitation that can slow down an application. 

In foliar applications, molybdenum and nickel are two micronutrients in particular that tend to be incompatible in non-chelated forms, causing inefficiencies. Neutralizing that charged atom into a neutral and water-soluble complex improves tank mix compatibility and, in turn, operational efficiencies. 

Nickel and molybdenum will react to form an insoluble complex if the nickel source is not chelated prior to mixing with molybdenum, Gabrielson states. Having nickel chelated in the formulation allows for broad tank mix compatibility, ensuring ease of use for the grower.

OPTRIENT MoCo-Ni from KAS is a liquid foliar spray containing molybdenum and chelated cobalt and nickel, providing growers a product that can be poured directly into a tank mix.

We still recommend jar tests as a best practice, since you cant account for every variable in the field, said Gabrielson. However, our chelated products have shown outstanding tank mix compatibility, allowing for smoother applications and fewer issues during mixing.

By improving compatibility, growers can have peace of mind when mixing OPTRIENT MoCo-Ni into their herbicide or fungicide applications, leading to fewer trips across the farm and fewer man hours throughout the growing season. 

Enhancing Plant Health with OPTRIENT MoCo-Ni

As a ready-to-use formulation, OPTRIENT MoCo-Ni delivers a targeted application of molybdenum, cobalt and nickel when and where crops need them most. These nutrients work in synergy to effectively mitigate abiotic stress and improve nitrogen utilization, optimizing crop performance and yield potential. To learn more about OPTRIENT foliar nutrition, contact your KAS representative.

OPTRIENT MoCo-Ni is not registered for sale or use in all states.