Making Sense of Fall Soil Sampling
Simply put, the goal of soil sampling is to make a fertilizer recommendation for crop production, write Greg LaBarge and Harold Watters, Ohio State University Extension, at Ohio’s Country Journal.
To provide that recommendation, calibration studies are done to measure crop response. For Ohio, the Tri-State Fertilizer Recommendations provide the calibration study history for recommendation development.
It’s about statistics. We want to take a representative sample, meaning that the sample should represent the fertility level of the area we sampled. Choose sample areas in the field that have similar crop yields, crop rotation histories, fertilizer application methods, and sources of applied nutrient. Fields or field areas with a history of livestock production (a former pasture, had manure applications or produced hay) or other unique characteristics may require a different sampling strategy. Field areas represented by any single sample should not be greater than 25 acres. Use of a yield monitor, soil maps, and grid sampling can lead to development of crop management zones, easing the burden of future sampling.
Understand that a single soil sample is not a single core but is a composite of numerous cores collected over the field area represented by the sample. Where broadcast applications have occurred a composite sample of 10-15 cores is suggested. Where a history of banded application exists in a field or manure application, then increase the number of cores to 20 or 25.
Continue reading at Ohio’s Country Journal.
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