Thoughts on Zinc deficiency and the causes

Just lately I have had a few conversations with pecan growers about the eternal problem with pecan trees and their penchant for a zinc deficiency.
I am convinced that Commercial Farmers are blinded by science and well meaning but scheming commercial sellers of zinc products and equally well meaning but scheming consultants and sellers of advice.
It is very seldom that a pecan tree grown in a garden for its' esthetic appeal develops zinc deficiency. Equally it is true that an old or bearing pecan does not have or show deficiency in zinc.
Therein lies the answer.
The question is, "Why?"

In the first place Commercial Farmers have been tought to believe any seller of scientific observation with the prefix Prof., or Dr., before their name. In fact they believe most anybody that is employed by any Agricultural College, fertilizer company or just plain bull-shitter if he somehow can shuffle science into the equation.
It is easy to do, because most farmers are driven by greed and their egos. They want the quickest return on their establishment cost, and in their blind rush to do this they are victims to quick fixes and fertilizer.
Their egos drive them to get maximum production in the shortest time. Consequently they deceive themselves in their predictions of future crop potential and the time taken to achieve them.

The "Gardener" on the other hand plants the tree and marvels at its progress with a minimum of fuss. The tree being only one individual among many asking for attention in a garden environment. Water most often is all that is required for the tree to flourish.

Because a Gardener plants any number of other plants around the tree, they are NOT inclined to be liberal with herbacides as they do damage to the garden. Not so the commercial farmer. He wants every drop of water and fertalizer only to be available to his money plant and therefore eliminates any other plant with the weapon of choice. In South Africa it is Roundup. The symptoms of a whiff of Roundup on a young pecan tree are very similar to sever or terminal zinc deficiency. It is my opinion that often, herbacide poisoning is mis-diagnosed as zinc deficiency or better still more subtly, herbacide poisoning inhibits the metabolism of the tree which in turn initiates the most likely deficiency. Zinc.
It is very difficult to control vapours in a spacing of 10m x 10m attempting to kill "weeds" only.

Then of course to rush the plant to maturity and bearing, fertilizers of every discription are applied to the soil and foliage and any other place if possible to stimulate it to grow and produce.

If a plant or animal has a genetic problem with absorption and translocation of any mineral or trace element during growth, it is likely that that problem will become evident if the plant or animal grows faster than the minerals and trace elements can be translocated. All other things being equal of course.
Needless to say the stimulation applied by fertilizer to pecan trees has this effect most particularly when the tree is growing vegetatively and not producing. It does not matter whether this is an organic fertilizer or a synthetic fertilizer. The stimulation is the same. This is the first 1-7 years of its' life depending on variety. Thereafter they start bearing and grow slower because they are growing a crop.

Stimulating growth encourages the possibility of deficiencies developing.
Commercial farmers can see a problem, and they are told by consultants that it is a Zinc deficiency.
Simple solution. Buy Zinc, a tractor, spray tanks and equipment, labour and time and apply the zinc. Just imagine the cost.
The Commercial Farmer is like a hamster on a treadwheel. And imagine how happy the consultant, the fertalizer agent and equipment salesmen are.

Now there is a new fad.
Organic Fertalizer - sold in a bag. Mined some place and sold as "environmentally friendly" and guaranteed to impress the "housewife".
Fertilizer is fertilizer as far as stimulating growth is concerned.

My suggestion to Commercial Farmers is:
Ask the Gardener in your family what they do. Garden more and get off the tread mill.

Stimulate growth less and plant cover crops.

It is tough for Commercial Farmers to believe it. The more they believe the consultants and fertilizer agents the more hamster-like their minds become.