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Information helps soil fertility specialists make "diagnosis"
Recommendations can depend on the data submitted with the sample

A doctor needs certain information to make a correct diagnosis. When "diagnosing" soil samples, soil fertility specialists also need certain information in order to make recommendations.

"The more information we receive, the more accurate our recommendations will be," said Jim Johnson, soil and crop specialist at the Noble Foundation in Ardmore, Okla. "This applies to samples submitted to the Foundation or any other private or state lab."

The following points can help soil fertility specialists make the best recommendations.

• Include contact information — name, address, phone number, even e-mail.

• Identify the field or pasture from which the sample was taken. This can be any name or number as long as it’s clear which soil sample came from which field.

"You can name the sample the way you refer to the field when you tell your spouse or kids where you are going — back pasture, long field, the forty, Uncle Bob's, east half," Johnson said. "However, it is helpful if the same field or pasture is referred to by the same name each time a sample is sent. That way, new results can be compared to old results to monitor trends in the fertility status."

If the field or pasture has been mapped, use the name or number on the map. Also indicate if a sub-soil sample has been taken, Johnson added.

• Name the county where the sample was taken.

"This is especially important when recommending nitrogen fertilizer to meet a desired yield goal," he said. "No matter how much fertilizer is applied, it can be hard to produce more than five tons of non-irrigated bermudagrass west of I-35 due to the lack of rain."

• Include the number or approximate number of acres sampled.

"If this number is more than 80, specialists may recommend taking more cores per sample or splitting the field into more than one sampling area," Johnson said.

• State whether the property is leased or owned.

"Since the effective life of lime is several years but the upfront cost is high, many lease arrangements may make it impractical to apply lime," he said.

• Many pieces of crop information are important — the intended crop, the desired yield and if the crop is established. If it is not established, include when it will be planted.

"Applying the correct blend of nutrients can make a difference in cost and production," Johnson said. "Different crops require different amounts of nutrients. If plans change, we need to make a different recommendation for the different crop. If the sample was taken in the last year or two, we can probably use the results on file and you will not need to resample."

The desired yield can be given in bushels, bales, pounds or animals per acre. If using bales or animals per acre, be sure to include the weight of the bales or animals and the number of cuttings or months of grazing.

"'Maximum' is not a yield goal," Johnson said. "However, there is a maximum potential for crops based on location and rainfall. For information on setting a realistic yield goal, contact a soils and crops specialist."

If the crop is not yet established, specialists may recommend applying the fertilizer at a different time or by a different method than if it is established.

"Knowing the target planting date helps us know for what season of growth to fertilize. It may also help us recommend a change if your planting date is too early or late for the desired crop," he said.

• If the crop is not planted yet, can or will starter fertilizer be banded at the time of planting? Banded nutrients are more efficient. The broadcast rate of phosphorus for small grains is 1.5 times the banded rate.

• Will the crop be irrigated? Again, the amount of rainfall and/or irrigation influences the yield potential of the crop.

• Specialists need to know something about the history of the field. This includes the date and rate of fertilizer, lime and other amendments applied during the previous year and the previous year's crop and yield obtained.

"Lime and some forms of nitrogen are slow to react in the soil, and if the soil sample was taken shortly after application, the nutrients may not show up on the soil test results," Johnson said. "Knowing the previous crop and yield obtained may allow us to adjust the fertilizer recommendation based on nutrient carry over."

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The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation, headquartered in Ardmore, Okla., is a non-profit organization conducting agricultural, forage biotechnological, and plant biology research; providing grants to numerous non-profit charitable, educational and health organizations; and assisting farmers and ranchers through educational and consultative agricultural programs.

To learn more, visit the Noble Foundation Web site at http://www.noble.org.

More news releases available at www.noble.org/Press_Release