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Subclinical copper deficiency in crops on the Breckland in East Anglia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 March 2009

Alison R. Tills  and
B. J. Alloway
Alison R. Tills
Affiliation:
Department of Botany and Biochemistry, Westfield College, University of London, London NWS 1ST
B. J. Alloway
Affiliation:
Department of Botany and Biochemistry, Westfield College, University of London, London NWS 1ST
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Extract

Visible symptoms of copper deficiency in cereals have been observed in several parts of Britain and described by Caldwell (1971) and others. However, several cases have also been reported where yield increases of up to 20% or more have been obtained in response to copper treatment in several types of crops which did not show any symptoms of deficiency. These subclinical deficiencies are frequently not recognized under ordinary farming conditions where poor yields can often be ascribed to other causes, such as water stress. Copper applied as a foliar spray has powerful fungicidal properties but the yield responses discussed here were only due to the nutritional effects of the element. In trials with foliar applications of copper, Reith (1968) reported yield increases averaging 20% in oats and barley at different sites in Scotland on sandy soils formed on glacial drift.

Type
Short Notes
Information
The Journal of Agricultural Science , Volume 97 , Issue 2 , October 1981 , pp. 473 - 476
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1981

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