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NSWAgricultureQuick questions
Core Part A: Plant Production
Quick questions on Plant nutrition and fertilisers explained: HSC Agriculture Plant Production
2short Q&A pairs drawn directly from our worked dot-point answer. For full context and worked exam questions, read the parent dot-point page.
What is recognising deficiency?Show answer
Deficiency symptoms help diagnose the limiting nutrient. Mobile nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and magnesium are moved from old leaves to new growth, so deficiency shows first in older lower leaves; nitrogen deficiency yellows the lowest leaves, while phosphorus deficiency can purple them. Immobile nutrients such as calcium, zinc, iron and boron show deficiency first in young growth because the plant cannot move them. Tissue testing confirms a visual diagnosis with numbers.
What is the four Rs of fertiliser management?Show answer
Producers manage fertiliser using right product, right rate, right time and right place. Right product matches the nutrient and form to the need, for example monoammonium phosphate at sowing for phosphorus plus starter nitrogen, or urea for in-crop nitrogen. Right rate is set by soil and tissue tests and a yield target so the crop is fed but not oversupplied. Right time matches application to demand, for example splitting nitrogen and topdressing before stem elongation when the crop sets yield potential.
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