Subclinical copper deficiency in crops on the Breckland in East Anglia

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Abstract
Visible symptoms of copper deficiency in cereals have been observed in several parts of Britain and described by Caldwell (1971) and others. However, several cases have also been reported where yield increases of up to 20% or more have been obtained in response to copper treatment in several types of crops which did not show any symptoms of deficiency. These subclinical deficiencies are frequently not recognized under ordinary farming conditions where poor yields can often be ascribed to other causes, such as water stress. Copper applied as a foliar spray has powerful fungicidal properties but the yield responses discussed here were only due to the nutritional effects of the element. In trials with foliar applications of copper, Reith (1968) reported yield increases averaging 20% in oats and barley at different sites in Scotland on sandy soils formed on glacial drift.

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