Nutrient Removal By Crops

I. Introduction

A crop absorbs nutrients from the soil which are subsequently used to support the
vegetative and reproductive activities. The amount of yield produced is an indicative of
the soil nutrients the crops absorbed or removed from the soil. Moreso, the extent of
nutrient depletion is determined by the amount of plant parts removed and the kind of
crops grown.

The chemical composition of the harvested parts of the plants and the dry matter yield
are the two most important factors affecting the extent of nutrient removal through
cropping.

II. Objectives

1. To demonstrate the role of crops in soil fertility depletion.

2. To quantify the extent of soil fertility depletion of some selected crops.

III. Materials and Procedure

A. Yield data and chemical analysis of some studies/researches conducted

1. Select a research study on fertilizer experiments. As much as possible,

chemical analysis of the test crop has been done. If without analysis, consult
books for nutrient composition.
2. Analyze the experiment conducted by getting the following:
a. Title of the experiment
b. Objectives of the experiment
c. Materials and Methods Data
1) Test Crop
2) Treatments used
3) Experimental Area: Size/Location
4) Data Gathered/Parameters Used
d. Findings
e. Recommendation

B. Yield Data

Yields in kg/ha and nutrient composition in percent of some crops at two fertility levels

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CROP YIELD MOISTURE COMPOSITION

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 kg/ha % N P K
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1. Rice

a. 0-0-0 1740 14 1.3 0.3 0.4

b. 80-45-45 4960 1.4 0.3 0.5

2. Corn 14

a. 0-0-0 1080 1.2 0.3 0.6

b. 90-0-0 4210 1.3 0.3 0.5

3. Sorghum 14

a. 0-0-0 850 1.3 0.3 0.5

b. 90-90-90 3980 1.5 0.3 0.5

4. Peanut 14

a. 0-0-0 1100 4.5 0.4 0.7

b. 30-60-60 1600 4.6 0.5 0.6

5. Soybean 14

a. 0-0-0 940 6.0 0.4 0.4

b. 60-60-60 1480 6.5 0.4 0.5

6. Sweet Potato 75

a. 0-0-0 19000 0.4 0.1 0.9

b. 45-60-60 28000 0.4 0.5 0.9

7. Tobacco 65

a. 0-0-0 2100 2.0 0.4 2.5

b. 30-60-90 3050 2.2 0.4 2.7

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2. Compute for the N, P and K contents of the crops following the formula:

Amount of N or P or K = Yield (kg/ha) X %N or %P or %K

3. Compute for the ratio of N:P:K uptake of different crops.

4. Tabulate results and interpret data.

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Effectivity Date: July 14, 2021 Page 2 of 3
IV. Study Questions

1. Will it always follow that the nutrients contained in the crop represent the
nutrients removed from the soil? Explain.

2. How is nutrient removal through cropping minimized?

3. Peanut and mungbean are both legumes. If both crops are grown to
maturity and are harvested, which crop do you think contributes to
greater nutrient depletion? Explain.

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Effectivity Date: July 14, 2021 Page 3 of 3