May 7 (Reuters) - Nutrien ( NTR ) fell short of Wall

Street expectations for first-quarter profit on Wednesday, as

the top potash producer was impacted by lower prices and higher

energy costs.

Trade tensions between the United States and China following

U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs have led to volatility in

crop prices over the past few months, prompting farmers to reign

in costs, which in turn has hit demand for fertilizers.

Its quarterly net selling price for potash in North America

fell 21.6% from a year earlier to $243 per tonne, while adjusted

core profit for the segment was down about 16% at $446 million.

Higher energy costs in its nitrogen segment further

pressured earnings in the quarter, which raised its cost of

goods sold by about 10% at $663 million.

Adjusted core profit fell about 12% to $408 million.

Average natural gas prices have risen over the past

few quarters and hit a two-year high on March 10, supported by

strong demand from LNG export facilities and supply concerns in

the run up to the summer season.

Nutrien's ( NTR ) quarterly earnings were also impacted by delayed

field activity due to wet weather conditions in North America

and strategic actions in South America.

The company's quarterly sales for crop nutrients was down

8.7% at $1.19 billion, while sales for crop protection products

was down 12.7% at $972 million.

Earlier this year, Nutrien's ( NTR ) Brazilian unit said it would

sell its fertilizer blending plants in the country amid a shift

in focus to reselling farm inputs through local retailers after

its acquisitions and investments failed to yield the expected

returns.

The Saskatoon, Canada-based firm posted an adjusted profit

of 11 cents per share for the quarter ended March 31, compared

with the analysts' average estimate of 31 cents per share,

according to data compiled by LSEG.