Importance of Secondary Nutrients in sorghum

The secondary nutrients are Calcium, Magnesium, and Sulfur. These nutrients are equally essential for sorghum plants for proper growth, development and disease resistance. Continued use of only common fertilizers, which do not supply these nutrients, is leading to their deficiencies resulting in reduced sorghum yields. Testing the soil will help in identifying the need for the application of these plant nutrients. Application of organic manures like well decomposed farm yard manure (FYM) and compost, green manuring and green-leaf manuring practices provide most of these plant nutrients. Also, using choice fertilizer material containing some of these nutrients help in supplying some of these nutrients. For example, applying super phosphate will not only supply phosphorus but also provides calcium and sulfur. Calcium and sulphur deficiencies may occur in problem soils. In acid soils, calcium application may be required.Similarly sulfur deficiency may occur in alkaline soils. However, we come across very rarely the deficiency of these secondary nutrients in many sorghum growing areas .