Assuring the accuracy
NEWARK, DE - A soil test is
useful only if it’s accurate. And the
key to accuracy is quality control
in the laboratory which analyzes
the sample. This ensures that the
numbers generated give
reproducible results which
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correlate with research. Without
this assurance, fertilizer recom
mendations based on the test are
meaningless.
A recent sample exchange
among mid-Atlantic area soil
laboratories shows that University
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of soil tests
of Delaware Agricultural Ex
periment Station soil test results
agree closely with those from
university labs in Maryland, New
Jersey and Virginia. This should
reassure fanners who use these
labs. Scientists at all four labs
belong to a regional soil test work
group established in 1975. Soil
specialists from Pennsylvania,
West Virginia, North Carolina and
South Carolina also belong to the
group.
Once a year the labs # analyze
identical soil samples and com
pare results to check accuracy.
Several commercial labs in the
area participate as well.
Besides reporting results of a
soil analysis, as part of this quality
control process each laboratory
also submits a set of fertilizer
recommendations based on that
analysis for common crops grown
in the region. Members of the
group then compare testing
procedures and discuss the
reasons for their recom
mendations.
“When we differ,” says Dr. J.
Thomas Sims, head of the
University of Delaware soil
laboratory, “we try to find out
why.” Soil variability and
problems in soil sampling are the
main reasons test results differ.
Fertilizer recommendations-even
those based upon identical results--
may vary because of different
concepts of plant nutrient needs
and attitudes on the economics of
fertilizer use. There are far fewer
differences now than in 1975, and
group members continue to work
toward greater uniformity.
In the days of cheap fertilizer it
was common to advise farmers to
apply potassium and phosphorus
on even high testing coastal plain
soils, as a kind of yield insurance.
Since then, Sims says research at
the Delaware Agricultural Ex
periment Station and elsewhere
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has demonstrated that this
practice is often unnecessary.
Soil test interpretations may also
differ, depending on how a crop is
grown. Thus, though phosphorus
can often be omitted on corn, in
certain situations such as no-till it
may be useful as a starter fer
tilizer to stimulate early seedling
growth-especially in cold soils.
Phosphorus may also help achieve
high com yields under irrigation.
“This year,” Sims says, “all our
Delaware recommendations are
for specific crop yield goals, based
on soil texture and whether the
crop will be irrigated.”
Because fertilizer is one of the
most costly production inputs, the
soil scientist suggests that, once
farmers receive their soil test
reports, they consider having these
interpreted by more than one
source-just as they would get
another opinion before deciding on
a course of medical treatment.
Membership in the mid-Atlantic
soil test work group is a great help
to the University of Delaware soil
testing program, Sims says. It
provides a means of group
members to share much relevant
information which can be applied
to local crops and soil conditions,
thus stretching research dollars at
each participating institution. This
kind of cooperation is possible
because of similarities among
many of the region’s coastal plain
soils.
25
of Lancaster County