Fertilizer products and practices are important contributors to this success. High yields come at a cost. Yields of many crops grown today have doubled in just the past few decades. Such high nutrient demand requires skillful management to avoid yield limitations developing because of an induced nutrient deficiency. Nutrient uptake and nutrient removal are not the same.
Nutrient uptake refers to all the nutrients taken up by the crop as it grows and matures.
Nutrient removal, on the other hand, refers only to that portion of the crop actually hauled from the field. In some cases uptake and removal are similar. For example, harvesting hay or silage removes almost all of the above-ground portion of the crop, so removal would approach that of total uptake. Phosphorus plays a vital role in genetic transfer and is part of the DNA molecule. It is not surprising, therefore, to find it concentrated in the seed.