What is the recommendation for the period of basic soil nutrients P, K, Mg sampling on arable land? All 3 to 4 years, … shorter or longer?
aronEnlightened
What do you recommened for a soil nutrient sampling period, in particular basic nutrients P, K, Mg?
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John Wick
Off course , i am bit too late to respond to this question , but better late than never . We in perennial crops recommend to undertake analyis for P,K,Mg at an every alternate years. Putting too many slag years, probably will put the potential impact of fertilization in a bit of jeopardy. We very frequently use leaf nalysis in conjunction with soil analysis for addressing these nutrients with regard to their budgeting.
andrew
Hi like other people already said, it depends on the purpose of the sampling. For dynamic nutrients as N-NO3 it is recommended to sample every year and near the date of seeding, but for other nutrients as P you can take samples every three years
Andrew Pel
The more valuable the crop and the large the nutrient removal, the more frequently you should sample. Also it depends on how you sample. For example if you do detailed precision sampling, a longer period is justified. of you do composite sampling, the cost is minimal so why not do it more often. For me, if your removing a lot of crop, and its a high value crops, i would sample every 1-2 years.
avery
Hi, Yes it depends on the purpose of the sampling. If it is for general management of a farm’s soil fertility, then every 3-4 years is good. Farms can then sample a proportion of the farm each year to spread any cost and/or labour. The value comes from long-term monitoring to observe trends. There has to be an adequate period after fertilizer application and soil sampling (3-6 months). I have assumed this is for nutrients other than mineral N which of course is much more dynamic during and between seasons.