Calcium-related Disorders of Fruits and Vegetables1

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Abstract
Calcium is the fifth most abundant element in the earth’s crust, accounting for more than 3% of its composition. The exchangeable Ca content of a “normal” soil ranges from 65 to 85% of its total exchange capacity (12). Leaves of dicotyledonous plants generally contain from 0.5 to 5.5% Ca on a dry weight basis (44). The aboveground woody portions of trees in a 36-year-old apple orchard (35 trees per acre) contain about 200 lb. of Ca/acre as compared to about 175 lb. of all other nutrient elements combined (98). Recognizable foliar symptoms of Ca deficiency are seldom observed on field-grown fruit or vegetable crops. Despite these facts, serious economic losses occur annually from physiological disorders resulting from an inadequate level of Ca in the fruits, storage roots, or tubers of many plants or to the heart leaves of cabbage, lettuce, and other compact leafy vegetables.

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