[basjoos]

There are two reasons behind this decline in vegetable nutrient levels. The first is the increase in yield.. A plant can only produce a limited amount of nutrients limited by sunlight and the uptake capacity of its root system. As the yield goes up, that limited amount of nutrients gets spread thinner over the increasing amount of vegetable matter produced by the plant.

The second reason is due to the depletion of the micronutrients and microelements in the soil. They are produced by the decompostiion of bedrock, but leave the farm in the produce, via erosion and by leaching of the soil. Synthetic fertilizers only replace the NPK and occasionally what are called the "minor elements" (S, B, Ca, and a few others) are added in commercial fertilizers. But not the microelements, which aren't needed for the plant to survive, but are needed for the plant to grow at its healthiest, mount its chemical defences against pests and diseases, to produce higher levels of nutrients in the harvested vegetables, and also improves the flavor. In the old days these microelements used to be recycled back to the field in the manure produced by the vegetable eaters. But now it goes from the farm straight down the sewers and eventually out to sea. What used to be a closed cycle is now a one way nutrient flow from the mines to the farm to the oceans. The easiest way to restore these missing microelements to your soil is to apply seaweed emulsion to your plants.