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Corn tissue...with a very instructive caveat emptor: > Be aware that elemental concentrations in plant tissue can vary widely for a given crop depending on the
by metaphor 3y ago
Corn tissue...with a very instructive caveat emptor:
> Be aware that elemental concentrations in plant tissue can vary widely for a given crop depending on the stage of growth and environmental conditions and for different crops, yet plants can still appear normal and healthy. For some elements the range of sufficiency is wide and for others the range is narrow. A good deal of caution needs to be exercised in diagnosing mineral deficiencies based only on plant tissue analysis.
Appreciate the cite though.
- orangepurple 3y agoThat could explain why the vegetables in Monsanto lands like America look and feel normal but have no flavor
- metaphor 3y agoNo idea what gives an arbitrary vegetable "flavor" relative to another in the same genus. Given how much of the industry is trial-and-error breeding to objectively target certain characteristics, it's unclear that practicing experts do either.
- ehnto 3y agoThat quote is talking about the way nutrients move around a plant I think, and how that introduces measurement issues depending on where and when you sample. Whereas I think this comment thread is just talking about overall composition. As in when the nutrients move from the stem to the head of a crop, if you sample the stem you would see a nutrient deficit, but actually the nutrients are still there, in the head. That's important for farming, not that important when discussing the makeup of plants overall. Useful sampling for crops is usually done post harvest, since that's the output and what we actually care about. Even after harvest, crops will change depending on the conditions endured during processing and shipment.