Soil Testing December 30th, 2009
The Weekly NE Ohio Crop Weather Report - December 29, 2009 gives an excellent summary of 2009 along with some lessons learned.
A lot of valuable lessons were learned in 2009 :
Planning for 2010
- Spend more time in the field - looking for pests and answers
Soil Testing September 12th, 2007
Nitrogen is, of course, an essential plant nutrient - but it also can negatively affect both growth and quality of a crop and so must be carefully managed.
Crops take up nitrogen that is released to the soil as a direct result of several catalysts, including atmospheric deposition … soil organic matter mineralization … crop residue decomposition … and animal manure and/or inorganic fertilizer applications.
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Soil Testing Benefits Of a Pre-Sideress Soil Nitrate Test
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Soil Testing August 29th, 2007
Soil testing company, Midwest Laboratories, is able to determine the presence and concentrations of various common soil containments in the environment from heavy industry and transport infrastructure.
A soil test allows a land owner to balance the potential impact of harm from soil contamination against the cost of undertaking a cleanup operation with the advice of our soil testing lab.
Soil testing is used as part of contaminated land rehabilitation projects to determine the presence and levels of harmful substances. A site is deemed to be contaminated when areas or the entire site has toxic chemicals in the ground that are harmful to humans or the environment at levels higher than those normally found in the region.
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Soil Testing Determines Soil Contaminants
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Soil Testing August 29th, 2007
Soil can be contaminated by any of a number of ways, rendering the land it occupies unsuitable for crops and livestock, illegal to develop, and potentially toxic to the human environment. Soil testing represents the key first and last steps of any cleanup operation.
Depending on the levels and type of toxicity, a cleanup operation can involve relatively inexpensive remediation methods, such as simply rezoning and sealing affected land, or the introduction of suitable microbial agents into the soil to digest certain chemicals at one end of the scale, and at the other, total excavation and containment of affected topsoil, such as has been conducted in retired nuclear testing sites in the deserts of Australia and China.
Soil Testing August 24th, 2007
Estimated Nitrogen Release or ENR is a calculated estimate of how much nitrogen will be released through the growing season from the organic matter (O.M.) or humus-like materials. Therefore, as the % O.M. increases, so will the ENR.
This calculation is based on the “rule of thumb” that organic matter contains 5% nitrogen. The rate at which organic matter will decompose and release nitrogen depends on many factors, but those of greatest effect are soil type, moisture and temperature. Because of this we adjust the ENR for geographical region (zones are listed on Midwest report), soil type (see Table 1 in the Midwest Laboratories, Inc. Agronomy Handbook), and crop (warm season vs. cool season).
Soil Testing August 24th, 2007
1. Fertilizer or liming materials improperly applied or not thoroughly mixed in soil:
(a) Material still on top of soil - poor incorporation or drought.
(b) Coarse materials not dissolved or not extract-soluble.
(c) Row fertilizer applications not constituting a proper proportion of sample.
2. Leaching of certain elements due to materials used, rates of application, or excessive water.
3. Necessary soil microbes not present for proper release or conversion of fertilizers to available forms.
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Soil Testing August 24th, 2007
1. Varied depth of sampling (Sample at tillage depth).
2. Combining unlike soil areas into one composite sample.
3. Combining soil areas with different past liming, fertilizer, or cropping histories into one composite sample.
4. Combining an insufficient number of sub-samples into composite from extremely varied or land-leveled fields.
5. Attempting to use single composite sample for too large an acreage.
6. Varying amounts of organic matter or undecomposed organic matter in sample.
7. Soft rocks in sample.
8. Forced drying of soil sample at high heat.
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Factors Effecting Irregularities in Soil Testing
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Soil Testing August 21st, 2007
Soil testing can yield important information for growers and grazers about the general health, fertility, structure, and physical properties of any given land and its suitability for different crops. By combining diligent record keeping with professional soil testing, it is possible for modern farmers to build up knowledge about the characteristics of their farm and individual fields. By taking action before problems develop, it is possible for you to make accurate predictions to better plan fertilization, inter-cropping, and crop rotation strategies months or years into the future.
Soil Testing August 21st, 2007
Percent Organic Matter - An overnight digestion process that shows a level of humus and protein materials. It should contain a minimum of field residues visible to the eye. For herbicides, consider visible residues in addition to the % O.M. reading.
ENR - Estimated nitrogen release from the O.M. to the next crop. It is used as an adjustment on nitrogen recommendations. The amount used varies by geographic area and Cation Exchange Capacity.
ppm P1 - P2 - P1 is the standard Bray phosphorus extraction showing the most readily available P on pH’s 5.8 - 7.5.
Soil Testing August 20th, 2007
In mineral soils, a 6 2/3″ plow depth is considered to weigh 2,000,000 lbs/A, but organic soils may average only 1,300,000 lbs/A. Organic soils by definition contain over 20% organic matter and may range up to 85%. To show this high organic matter a “combustible O.M. test” must be used. Tucas and Warncke have both made reports on organic soils. The following points will outline key agronomic considerations when working with organic soils.
1. Because of the extreme weight difference per volume of soil and the shrink incurred when drying, an average conversion factor of .65 should be used to convert the ppm test readings to lbs/A. Organic Soils Weigh Less than Mineral Soils