Taking the time to interpret soil sampling results correctly is time well spent.
That’s the advice of ProCam’s technical and services manager Simon Francis who says soil sampling is an essential tool for growers to ensure crops reach their full potential and is required for farm assurance compliance purposes for an increasing number of Sustainable Farm Incentive schemes.
However, if soils are not sampled and tested in a timely manner, or if the results are not interpreted properly by an experienced agronomist, it could prove to be a wasted exercise.
“Sampling prior to sowing any crop is key, as it provides an essential opportunity for growers to assess the nutrient status of soils and to make plans to redress any identified imbalances or deficiencies,” Simon explains.
He recommends sampling each field every four to five years. “Generally, there’s no need to sample any more frequently unless there’s a specific reason such as a change of cropping or land use.
“In extreme cases, for example where continuous high rainfall or an extended period of waterlogging has caused nutrient stores to be depleted due to leaching, increasing the frequency of testing could prove useful. Another example could be where a lack of organic matter prevents nutrients from being retained, thus causing leaching losses to be exacerbated.”
Waterlogging also compromises root development, affecting the crop’s ability to access nutrients, so understanding what is available to the crop will be vital.
“Irrespective of the soil type, the very least growers should be doing is to test each field to build a basic picture of the farm’s P, K and Mg indices as well as pH and organic matter: testing organic matter content can provide a good indicator of general soil health, from which it is possible to begin to understand the soil’s capacity to retain both moisture and nutrients,” Simon continues.
“Beyond this, the next step is to build a more comprehensive understanding of the macro- and micronutrients available to plants, so that a tailored nutrient programme can be drawn up proactively rather than reactively during the season.”
He recommends ProCam’s SoilSense, which not only analyses the chemical composition of the soil, but also the availability of micro and macro nutrients. This will help growers remain compliant with crop assurance requirements.
“For growers who want to take things even further, an analysis of the soil’s biological constituents including protozoa, mycorrhiza and saprophyte populations as well as positive and negative bacteria population dynamics can be assessed to give a full appreciation of the soil’s health,” Simon concludes.
