- Sulfates
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Chelated Products
- Nitrates
- Other Chemicals
- Knowledge
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Metal chelate compounds are common components of fertilizers to provide micronutrients. These micronutrients (manganese, iron, zinc, copper) are required for the overall health of the plants. Most fertilizers contain phosphate salts that, in the absence of chelating agents, typically convert these metal ions into insoluble solids that are of no nutritional value to the plants. EDTA is the typical chelating agent for this purpose.
Recently, high efficiency chelators have been developed that are capable of reducing the total amount of phosphorus applied. This has massive environmental implication for farming around sensitive areas such as waterways and coastal areas. These chelators are different than existing chelators in that they never enter the plant; instead, they pulse a nutrient through the plant skin barrier and are repelled, freeing them to chelate further nutrients.
