Calcium is the fifth abundant element in Earth’s crust and third most abundant metal after Iron and Aluminium. The most common Calcium compound on Earth is Calcium Carbonate found in Limestone. Gypsum is another source of Calcium.
Although calcium is the fifth most abundant element in the earth's crust, it is never found free in nature since it easily forms compounds by reacting with oxygen and water.
Calcium is essential for all living organisms including plants; most soils contain enough calcium but not in a form plants can use.
Role of Calcium in plants:
Calcium is an essential plant nutrient. It has many roles:
• Participates in metabolic processes of other nutrients uptake.
• Regulation of the stomata.
• Promotes proper plant cell elongation.
• Strengthen cell wall structure – calcium is an essential part of plant cell wall. It forms calcium pectate compounds which give stability to cell walls and bind cells together
• Participates in enzymatic and hormonal processes.
• Protecting the plant against heat stress – calcium improves stomata function and participates in induction of heat shock proteins.
• Protecting the plant against diseases – numerous fungi and bacteria secret enzymes which impair plant cell wall. Stronger Cell walls, induced by calcium, can avoid the invasion.
• Affects fruit quality.
- Calcium reaction in Soil:
• Calcium stabilizes soil structure – the calcium that is adsorbed to soil particles helps in stabilizing the soil structure. Adsorbed sodium might cause the soil to crack when dry and swell up when wet. Calcium replaces the adsorbed sodium and prevents damages to soil structure.
FACTORS AFFECTING THE AVAILABILITY OF CALCIUM TO PLANTS:
Acidic, sandy, or coarse soils often contain less calcium. Calcium deficiency is usually caused due to low calcium availability or due to cold weather, water stress and high humidity which results in low transpiration rates.
Low Transpiration Rates:
Calcium uptake by the plant is passive and does not require energy input. Calcium mobility in the plant takes places mainly in the xylem, together with water. Therefore, calcium uptake is directly related to the plant transpiration rate.
Salinity:
Salinity build-up might also cause calcium deficiency because it decreases the water uptake by the plant.
Calcium-phosphorous precipitation:
when free calcium accumulates in the soil solution (e.g., when soil PH is high), calcium tends to form insoluble compounds with phosphorous. Consequently, phosphorous availability is also significantly decreased.
High negative soil’s particle:
Since calcium is a positively charged ion, it is adsorbed in the soil to the surface of clay and organic particles which are negatively charged. Positively charged ions adsorbed to soil particles are termed “exchangeable ions” because they can be exchanged by other ions present in the soil solution.
Calcium deficiency symptoms:
Since calcium mobility in plants is limited, calcium deficiency will appear in younger leaves (die back or burns) and in fruits (blossom end rot, bitter pit), because they have a very low transpiration rate.
Therefore, it is necessary to have a constant supply of calcium for continued growth.
The symptoms of calcium deficiency include curling of young leaves or shoots scorching or spotting on young leaves, poor growth, leaf tip burns, stunted roots, and damage to fruit.
Soil Analysis:
Soil analysis can help in assessing the availability of calcium to plants by determines the level of exchangeable calcium ions, and not the total calcium in soil, because the exchangeable calcium is the form which is available to the plant.
• CEC – this is a soil characteristic that describes the total amount of positively charged exchangeable ions that the soil can hold. A higher CEC indicates a higher capacity of the soil to adsorb and hold calcium, and therefore higher calcium availability.
• Presence of competing ions – calcium competes with other positively charged ions, such as sodium (Na+), potassium (K+), and magnesium (Mg+2). Applying too much of these positively charged ions might decrease calcium uptake by plants. Sodium ions can replace the adsorbed calcium, damage soil structure and decreases calcium availability.
Cal-G:
Gluconolacted Calcium 11%
CAL-G is an exclusive, uniform blend of calcium & gluconolactone complex (a unique encapsulation of Calcium molecule in gluconic and Lactic acid). As a synergist, it contains 11 percent calcium and provides highly soluble calcium that is both readily available to plants upon application and throughout the growing season. It can unlock your soil’s full potential today for healthier, stronger plants all season long.
“CAL-G CARRIES CALCIUM ON IT’S BACK”
•Calcium when attached with gluconic and lactic acid becomes neutral and is easily availed to the plant.
• Calcium in the form such as Calcium Nitrate, Calcium Chloride, calcium Chelates, Lime, Gypsum is not available in the complete plant body as it is not readily transported to the complete plant body through Xylem via transpiration. Gluconic acid and lactic acid form the easy mode of transport through xylem with water thus carrying calcium in the whole plant body making it available easily and in the extreme of the plant body where generally the deficiency is observed.
• The other form of calcium leaches out on the soil making it saline, Gluconolactate calcium is 100% water soluble.
CAL-G benefits for the crop:
• Ca are integral components of cell wall.
• They enhance flowering.
• Enhance fruit setting.
• Reduce early (premature) fruit drop.
• Give healthy fruit development.
• Improves fruit quality.
• Increases shelf life.
• Cal G 11% SL synergistic effects on other element’s metabolism, hence, are more effective when given to crops.
Results:
Significantly more yield, together with higher quality in the staple foods (rice, sugarcane, potato, etc.), vegetables (pepper, Tomato, carrot, etc.), Cereals (wheat, Barley, etc.) and order agro crops
Field tested:
Chili, Tomato, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Citrus, Mangoes, Pomegranate, Tea, Cotton, Soybean, Lentil, Spinach, Broccoli, Corn, Wheat …
What makes Cal-G superior to other calcium product in the market:
• Easy-to-use concentrate.
• Excellent nutritional support for sturdy, perfectly formed plants.
• Completely water soluble.
• Cal-G neutralizes cell acids.
• Cal-G 11% SL to maximize uptake and foliar absorption.
• Will not affect soil PH.
• Improves stomata function and participates in induction of heat shock proteins.
Instructions for use:
• 0.8 to 1 litre of Cal-G per acre per season in total (depending on the Crop)
• Two general applications each 0.4 to 0.5 lit/acre (one at 3-5 leaf stage & one before blooming)
• CAL-G can be mixed with most of the pesticides and fertilizers (recommend a jar test before mixing)