The agronomy handbook is a comprehensive resource that discusses soil properties, plant essential nutrients, as well as soil test results and recommendations. Uga soil, plant, and water laboratory when it expanded its analytical services to water testing. Plan soil sampling to allow adequate time for soil analysis and fertilizer purchase prior to application and a minimum of 10 samples should be collected and composited mixed from each. The range of soil ratings used to indicate high, medium and low fertility are. Discrimination in university employment, programs or activities based on race, color, ethnicity, sex, pregnancy, religion, national origin, disability, age, sexual orientation, genetic information, status as a u. Pm 10 revised march 2003 interpretion soil test results 71503, 4. Interpretation of soil test results extension store. The results provided on your soil test report reflect the properties of the sample. Mississippi state university is an equal opportunity institution. Interpreting soil test results for the northern region translating soil test results into kilograms of fertiliser per hectare can be a challenge, especially in the northern region, where there is the added requirement to sometimes place nutrients at depth. Interpreting missouri soil test reports mu extension.
The soil ratings of the available amounts of plant nutrients. Soil test results will detect nutrient deficiencies, excesses or imbalances. But, without the right know how years of school and piles of books a soil test. Csiro publishing has an international reputation for quality educational and reference books and cdroms in the subject areas of agriculture, biology, botany, forestry, ornithology, zoology, marine science, freshwater science, plant science, soil science, natural history, ecology, environment, fire and environmental management. This guide explains each soil test parameter on a soil test report. The actual soil test values of the available amounts of plant nutrients in the soil.
Reading and interpreting soil test reports unit overview soil analyses can help form the basis of a sound soil fertility and plant nutrition program. Who are the accredited labs for traditional soil chemical tests. Other useful measures on the report, such as cation exchange capacity cec, organic matter, and base saturation, further define soil factors related to. Many labs estimate the cation exchange capacity that would exist at ph 7 or even. Allegan county is currently out of their plat books. It also contains a comprehensive description of the soil properties relevant to many environmental. Soil test reports vary from laboratory to laboratory.
In total collect about 15 20 samples that are uniformly distributed throughout your yard so that the results will be. A professional soil test can help you amend the soil with the necessary nutrients for the plants youll be growing. Simplified, soils high in organic matter or clay require more lime to correct acidity problems than sandy soils with the same ph reading. This online resource has replaced the soil survey books of years past. Interpreting soil test results sustainable agriculture. The following chart was taken from a soil test report on my community garden in april of 2000. Interpreting soil test results for the northern region grdc. How do i sample soil to ensure my soil chemical test results are. The precursor to this book,what do all the numbers mean. Haney soil test can help producers maximize fertilizer inputs. Soil testing is also useful for identifying contaminated sites e. Every soil test report includes the following nine sections. The entire 2nd half of the book is sample test results and an accompanying analysis ie. A wellplanned fertilization program begins with a representative soil test for each field and careful analysis of the soil test report.
There is also basic information on each nutrient or soil property and how it pertains to soils in this region. Very nice selection of books on hand in the office. For example, changing soil sampling depth from 3 to 6 inches will drastically change soil test results. The new forms made it possible to report soil test results both numerically and graphically. For example, the sample site should be far from roads, fences, tree groups, piles of fertilizers and manure or any other object that can locally affect the soil properties and content. The soil analysis of a home and garden soil test kit is generally not as accurate as a lab test. Buffer ph is performed in a lab and is the measure of the soils resistance to change. The soil lab at virginia tech will recommend adding lime to soils with a ph of less than 6. How to interpret my soil test report smart fertilizer. This is a decent place for a novice to start with interpretation of soil test results.
University of tennessee fertilizer recommendations are the most profitable tested pdf. The soil ratings show how the actual soil test values of your soil sample compare to a highly fertile soil. To obtain meaningful and accurate soil test results, it is important to collect soil samples from the correct depth and from multiple locations within a field. It has a comprehensive listing of the soil properties relevant to most environmental and natural land resource issues and investigations. Soil test allows you to know the starting point, and this is a very valuable piece of information. A short list of common average adequate levels is at the bottom of. Publications interpreting mehlich 1 and mehlich 3 soil test extractant results for p and k in tennessee pdf. How to interpret your soil test report government of.
It allows you to monitor soil fertility levels, identify potential for nutrient deficiencies, and make fertilizer decisions based on the best possible information. Understanding a soil test analysis report turf magazine. Consistency is essential for soil test results to be useful and comparable from year to year. On the positive side, the heavy clay soil has adequate levels of phosphorous, calcium, and zinc. Ratings indicates how high or low your soil is considered in each category. This is information you provided upon submitting your sample.
Here are the basics of how to interpret soil test results. Simplifying soil test interpretations for turf professionals. The following note provides general guidelines for collecting soil samples, a summary of soil test results, and information for evaluating those results to develop an efficient christmas tree fertilization program. The graphic, above right, shows an example soil test report. The soil tests were run by different procedures, to provide examples from around the u. How to read and properly understand your soil tests.
Guide to soil testing and interpreting results 2 cornell waste management institute 15 april 2009 general procedure for sample collection 1. Reading and interpreting soil test reports introduction 431 lecture 1. How to interpret your soil test report introduction your soil test report includes four important sets of information. Interpreting lawn and garden soil test results garden, interpret, lawn, ornamental, result, soil, soil report, soil result, soil test, turf, yard the soil test report for your lawn or garden soil sample will mean little to you unless you understand the terms and numbers used. Read download interpreting soil test results pdf pdf. We also discuss the desired levels of different nutrients and soil properties.
Interpreting a soil test report agvise laboratories. The missouri soil test report is an important tool for making management decisions for crop and forage production. The first half of the book is spent on a pretty basic overview of the function of nutrients and general ideas for balancing them in different soil types. To understand your soil test results online at the msu soil. Interpretation of soil test results the printing of the publication was funded, in part, by the usda cooperative states research, education, and extension service contract 95ewqi19067, iowa state university extension, and the college of agriculture, iowa state university. Keith crouse, retired soil fertility coordinator of soil testing lab, mississippi state university. Soil testing and interpretation of results for christmas. Four inches is good for golf turf and 6 inches is recommended for lawns and athletic fields.
Fertilizer w is added in increments such as 20, 40, 60, r 80 pounds per acre. The primary goal of soil testing is to inform efficient and effective resource management. Secondary and micronutrient guidelines for tennessee pdf using the presidedress nitraten soil test psnt for nitrogen management in corn production. These are just suggestions there are other satisfactory ways to meet the needs of crops growing on the soils sampled. Soil testing is the most accurate way to determine lime and nutrient needs. Interpreting soil test results is a practical reference for those who need to interpret results from laboratory analysis of soil. This guide will help you understand the soil test report and make the results more useful for your farming operation. Office services allegan county michigan state university.
At any particular soil test value, the soil rating may differ between crops because different crops have different ranges of nutrient. Interpreting soil test results video part 2 revised 4 24. The soil fertility of the farm above has dropped in recent years, if we take a quick look at the soil test results we can easily identify that four out of the five fields are lacking in p all bar field 2 and k all bar field 2. These results are used to develop fertilizer recommendations.
It also covers soil sampling, fertilizer application methods, nutrient deficiency symptoms in plants, plant tissue analysis, nutrient uptake and removal in crops, and conversion factors. When you receive your soil test results, most of the numbers will be in ppm parts per million and your agent should be able to interpret the results and recommendations. Interpretations of a number of commonly used soil testsrelating test levels to generalfertility categoriesare given later in the chapter see tables 21. Some growers using cover crops and notill for years can achieve soil health scores greater than 20. The procedure for interpreting the meaning f soil test indices is to use data from longo term experiments and to conduct new field alibration studies by growing crops in fields c ith a predetermined soil test value. Interpreting soil analysis is one of midwest laboratories most popular publications. They cannot, however, identify problems due to disease, insect pests, pesticides or poor cultural practices.
The interpretation section focuses on four of the important soil test results phosphorus, potassium, ph, and soluble salts and gives an explanation of them in graphical format. The precursor to this book, what do all the numbers mean. Therefore, r t is possible to separate treatment effects i from effects due to soil. Each section of the report is given a number, and is explained in turn.
Also, test soil for soluble h2o cations especially calcium and. Whether you receive a report in a graphics format or in tabletext format depending upon the number of samples and on the plants you are growing, this publication provides clear, detailed figures for. Interpreting your soil test results for lawns and gardens. Taking a soil sample correctly is the number one step for getting reliable soil test results. The suggested applications of fertilizer and limestone. If you have submitted a soil sample to the auburn university soil testing laboratory, this companion publication will help you interpret the test results and recommendations. Sections 1 to 3 show the client, advisor and sample information. In this unit, students will learn how to collect soil samples for laboratory analysis, and interpret and use soil analysis report data as a tool for soil quality assessment. Regular soil testing is a critical component of good crop production. This time of year provides an excellent opportunity to soil sample your. Based on the questions to be answered with test results, select the speci.
It also contains a comprehensive description of the soil properties relevant to many environmental and natural land. Test results also include a soil health score, which measures the current health of the soil system by combining five individual measures. Interpreting soil test results msu extension service. To gain the most benefit from soil testing, it is important to become familiar with all aspects of your soil test report. To further ensure consistency, routinely use a lab you. The first half of the book is spent on a pretty basic overview of the function of. In 1997, a new soil test report form was developed for reporting soil test results and limestone and fertilizer recommendations. Soil sampling should be well planned and preformed.
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