The use of mineral fertilizers helps to obtain higher yields, on the other hand, however, it may lead to the depletion of active forms of nutrients from the soil, which is subsequently conducive to their deficiencies in humans. The content of micronutrients in plants is an important quality characteristic that is evaluated in terms of both human food and animal feeds. Therefore, it becomes essential to determine the effect of unbalanced mineral fertilization on the micronutrient content in crop plants. This paper presents the results of an experimental study designed to determine the impact of the absence of N, K, Mg or S fertilization and of weather conditions on the iron and manganese content in winter forms of oilseed rape and wheat as well as in spring barley and sugar beet. A four-year, two-factor field experiment was set up in a split-plot design on heavy soil. The content of the micronutrients studied was determined using atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS). Our analysis of the results shows that the experimental factors had a statistically significant effect on the content of the elements. The weather conditions caused significant differences in the content of the micronutrients in question, but without a clear direction in these changes. The elimination of nitrogen from a fertilizer dose was associated with a decrease in the iron and manganese content in most of the plants investigated. The absence of individual nutrients in fertilizer doses resulted in significant differences in the iron and manganese content, but these changes were not unambiguous.

23.2.2018