Agricultural Fertilizer

Magnesium Oxide for Agricultural Applications

Magnesium Oxide as a Crop Nutrient Supplement

Seventeen nutrients have been identified as essential for plant growth.  Without these nutrients, plants cannot complete their life cycles.  Magnesium (Mg) is considered a “macro nutrient” – those of the 17 nutrients required in relatively large quantities.

Soils where large amounts of potassium have been applied, repeatedly, are low in magnesium.  High application of potassium or ammonium fertilizers often heightens magnesium deficiency. High cations concentration interferes with Mg uptake. This interference generally does not occur where soils contain more exchangeable Mg than exchangeable K.

One symptom of magnesium deficiency is low-yielding crops, where plants set fewer pods, containing fewer seeds, hence reduced grain yields. magnesium oxide is useful in correcting magnesium deficiencies in a wide variety of soils and crops.

Soil acidification is a natural process that is increased by normal production practices, particularly the use of nitrogen fertilizer and manure.  High levels of soil acidity can reduce root growth, reduce nutrient availability, and affect crop protectant activity.  Water-soluble magnesium is developed in the soil as magnesium oxide is broken down by the action of soil acids to furnish available magnesium, and neutralize acidity.

Magnesium oxide uses in agriculture offers a good nutrient source for blending of mixed fertilizers due to its high concentration of magnesium.