Foliar fertilizer - Farmer's friend

Every year, the whole Thai Nguyen province cultivates over 57,900 hectares of crops, including over 39,400 hectares of food crops, 11,660 hectares of various vegetables, and the rest are other crops. To increase the productivity of crops, fertilizers play a very important role. Accordingly, foliar fertilizers are becoming a "companion" of farmers. This is considered a solution to ensure nutritional safety for crops.

People in Uc Ky commune (Phu Binh) dilute foliar fertilizer solution according to instructions of agricultural extension officers to spray on plants.

Mr. Nguyen Ta, Head of the Provincial Department of Cultivation and Plant Protection, said: The leaf area is 15 to 20 times the area of ​​land that the roots reach, so the nutrients that plants receive through the leaves are guaranteed to be faster and more thorough. The speed of absorbing and transporting nutrients through the leaves is also 30 times faster than from the roots. Using foliar fertilizers helps plants grow and develop well, increases their resistance to pests and diseases, helps plants recover quickly, and gives higher economic efficiency per unit area than fertilizing the soil.

Not only does it help maintain the growth and health of plants, foliar fertilizers also contribute to increasing the quality of agricultural products because they can be applied at the right time, in the right place, completely independent of soil conditions. These advantages are the reason why many farmers in the province use foliar fertilizers.

Mr. Nguyen Van Hieu, in Phu Thinh residential group, Hung Son town (Dai Tu), said: My family has 5 sao of rice fields. Previously, I often used chemical fertilizers to fertilize the rice. Through research, I realized that foliar fertilizers have more advantages, so for the past 2 years, my family has used this type of fertilizer for the entire rice field of the family (used when soaking seeds and when the rice plants are curling). Just looking with the naked eye, I can see that my family's rice field is growing better than before, when harvesting, the yield is 20 to 30% higher. In particular, before, I used about 3.5 to 3.7 kg of root fertilizer per crop for 1 sao of rice. Since using foliar fertilizers, I have saved 40% of fertilizer and about 30% of input costs.

According to our research, using foliar fertilizers is considered an effective solution to supplement essential nutrients for plants, overcome nutrient deficiencies due to changes in ecological and environmental conditions (drought, dry soil surface) as well as to satisfy high physiological nutritional needs during special growth and development stages of plants, or new crops that require high levels of intensive farming, new and advanced farming methods.

Moreover, the way to use foliar fertilizer is also quite simple, farmers just need to dilute, put the foliar fertilizer solution in the bottle and spray it on the plants. Mr. Nguyen Ta added: In Thai Nguyen, the use of foliar fertilizer is being encouraged to reduce the pressure of chemical fertilizers on the soil. However, to achieve the highest efficiency, farmers need to use foliar fertilizer according to the correct process and techniques according to the manufacturer's instructions...

In order to reduce labor for farmers and improve productivity and quality of agricultural products, recently, the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has implemented a number of models using organic foliar fertilizers on rice and tea plants; at the same time, using drones to spray foliar fertilizers on rice and tea.

For example, the model of using organic foliar fertilizer for glutinous rice planted in the 2024 crop in Muc hamlet and Tan Lap hamlet, Uc Ky commune, Phu Binh district (with an area of ​​7 hectares, with 48 households participating); or the model of using organic foliar fertilizer for tea implemented at tea cooperatives: Kim Thoa, Phuc Xuan commune (Thai Nguyen city); Nguyen Viet, Minh Lap commune (Dong Hy); Hai Yen, Phu Thinh commune (Dai Tu). Accordingly, each cooperative implements on a scale of 1 hectare...

From the actual implementation, it is shown that this advanced method helps to spread fertilizer quickly, accurately and effectively; not only increasing crop productivity but also protecting the surrounding environment. This is also one of the effective solutions for the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development to transfer many new and modern technical advances to farmers in a "hands-on" manner.

Source: https://baothainguyen.vn/kinh-te/nong-nghiep/202409/phan-bon-la-ban-cua-nha-nong-c5a0fdd/