—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, December 30,1978
18
New method found for testing nitrogen in soils
UNIVERSITY PARK - A
method has been- found to
quickly predict amounts of
nitrogen available to plants
growing in soils of the humid
East Dr. Richard H. Fox,
assistant professor of soil
science at the Pennsylvania
State University, reported
he and his colleagues are
developing a method
suitable for largescale soil
testing programs. It is the
first such test that works for
soils of the humid East
Farmers to visit Puerto Rico
NEWARK, Del. - A group
of Delaware farmers plans
to spend a week in February
visiting dairy and vegetable
farms in Puerto Rico. The
group, which calls itself the
Kent County Agricultural
Tour, is finalizing
arrangements now, ac
cording to County Extension
Agent Dave Woodward, one
of its organizers. In spite of
the Kent county designation,
the trip is open to any in
terested Delaware farmer,
regardless of where in the
state be resides.
Woodward says they hope
to have about 55 people on
the educational tour, which
is being planned by him and
University of Delaware
Sire Power adds to staff
TUNKAHANNOCK - Jim
Martin and Steven
Castrogiovanni have been
added to the Sire Power
laboratory and distribution
staff in Tunkhannock, ac
cording to Director of
Laboratory and Distribu
tion, Norman Werkheiser.
Jim began working for
NEBA in May, 1977, as a
technician in Susquehanna
County. He was employed by
the Sire Power laboratory as
Woodland forestry course offered
UNIVERSITY PARK - If
you have woodland, what do
you plan for it? Build a
hunting lodge? Plant
Christmas trees? Sell logs or
lumber? Provide food and
cover for wildlife?
You may own woodland
for profit or recreation, but
management of the area is
needed for useful develop
ment, remind specialist of
Ailing Profits?
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and death. See us for the facts on
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Phone 215-267-3894
BERNARD C. MORRISSEY
Farm & Agri-Business Insurance Specialist
130 S. 4th St.
Denver. PA 17517
Fox indicated the method
uses ultraviolet light to
measure the organic matter
contained in extracts of the
soil, which in turn is an index
of nitrogen availability in the
soil.
The experimental process
has been used successfully
for three years with 16 major
agronomic soils studied by
the Agricultural Experiment
Station at Penn State.
Extension dairy specialist
Dr. George Haenlein, in
cooperation
representatives of Puerto
Rico’s Agricultural Ex
periment Station and the
Puerto Rican extension
service.
Haenlein spent several
days on the island last
Spring visiting farms there
in connection with a U.S.
government AID program
being developed at the
University of Delaware and
feeis a visit by Delaware
farmers could be quite in
structive.
The group plans to leave
for the Washington, D.C.,
area Saturday, February 3,
a truck run driver, deliver
ing semen to technicians and
direct herd salesmen
throughout the NEBA ter
ritory.
Jim trained his own
replacement, • Steve
Castrogiovanni, to do semen
distribution via truck and
became a full time
laboratory employee in
November. Now he pro
cesses semen, makes ex
tender for dilutions, diluting,
packaging, and checking
the Cooperative Extension
Service. Tree species can be
controlled by planting
seedlings. Growth of tall
straight trunks can be en
couraged by proper spacing
and by removal of weed
trees. Wildlife can be
protected by growing food
and cover plants. Picnic and
camp areas need water
supplies and toilet facilities.
“Data in this study in
dicate a lot of our soils are
supplying more nitrogen
than we realize,” Fox said.
“This results in more
nitrogen being applied than
may be needed. Results of
the study have potential to
save Pennsylvania farmers
millions of dollars and
reduce risks of nitrate pollu
tion,” he indicated.
“Until now there has been
no way we could test soil in a
After spending a day there,
they will fly to Puerto Rico.
They will return on
February 11. Cost of tran
sportation and lodging is
$545, excluding meads. In
dividuals interested in
learning more about the trip
should contact Woodward at
302-678-4675 as soon as
possible.
with
This will be the seventh
major educational farm tour
for the Kent county group -
the first outside the Con
tinental U.S. In the past they
have traveled to California,
Arizona, Florida, and
Louisiana to study farming
techniques in these areas
and consult with local far
mers.
semen viability, hi addition,
Jim aids laboratory
research projects.
Presently Steve services
all of NEBA’s technicians
once a month supplying
them with semen, A.I. equip
ment, and new information.
He spends two days each
v.eek~on the road, one day
supplying the truck, and two
days in the laboratory work
ing in the “tank room” freez
ing semen and filling orders.
To help owners manage
woodlands, Penn State
University offers a
correspondence course of
eight lessons titled
“Woodland Forestry.”
Anyone may enroll by
sending $4.50 to Woodlot
Forestry, Box 5000,
University Park, Pa., 16802.
Make checks payable to
Penn State.
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when you use mere quality ingredients.
Dairymen all around the country and right around very ingredients that many other supplements lack!
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We got'em licked
JOHN Z. MARTIN
New Holland RDI
Phone 717-354-5848
routine soil testing program
to predict how much
nitrogen the soil will provide
to a crop grown under condi
tions in the East,” says Fox.
Lacking a predictive test,
nitrogen fertilizer recom
mendations are based on
nitrogen needed for op
timum crop response.
Farmers murt apply the
total amount of nitrogen or
risk inefficient crop yields.
In some instances, Fox
and associates found as
much as 100 pounds of excess
nitrogen is applied. This is
the result of a higher-than
expected contribution of
nitrogen from the soil.
Causes may include a
residue of nitrogen in the soil
from previous crops or from
use of animal manures.
The researchers estimate
that at current prices of
about 20 cents per pound of
fertilizer nitrogen applied, a
McCRACKEN’S FEED MILL, INC.
Manheim, PA 17545
Phone 717-665-2186
farmer may be spending up
to $2O an acre more than
necessary to produce the
crop. Accurate testing could
lower these costs as well as
reduce risks of polluting
ground water supplies with
nitrates.
Other nitrogen
availability tests proposed to
date take several hours to
days for completion, using
caustic chemicals and
elaborate laboratory
methods, prohibitive in cost
and time for practical uses.
“We are trying to develop
a mass production method
that large soil testing ser
vices, such as the one at
Penn State, could run in 20
minutes or less,” says Pox.
Tests for inorganic nitrogen
used successfully in arid
soils, west of the Mississippi
River, don’t work in the
humid East
Dr. Fox affirms the need
for this test becomes greater
as the price of nitrogen fer
tilizer, and natural gas from
which it is made, increases.
The test is important to
agriculture conducted in a
wide range of soils and with
varied management
schemes.
“In Pennsylvania most
dairy farmers apply heavy
annual applications of
manure and they grow
alfalfa or other legumes.
This has made it difficult to
predict nitrogen availability
in our soils, and to accurate
ly recommend nitrogen fer
tilizer rates for our crops,”
Fox states.
Until a nitrogen availabili
ty test is developed it will be
extremely difficult to attain
maximum efficiency of
nitrogen fertilizer use in the
East, report the resear
chers.
If Fox and associates are
successful they’ll help
Eastern farmers save
money, reduce energy con
sumption in fanning, and
reduce the /potential for
nitrate pollution.
RED ROSE FEED &
FARM SUPPLY
MAIN OFFICE:
27 N. Church St.. Quarryville
Phone 786-7361
Div. of Carnation
Buck, PA