Plant Tissue Testing in Wisconsin: What’s New?
2014
- UW Madison, Soil Science
Project Media
Interest in plant tissue testing as a tool to help diagnose the plant nutrient status of crops has increased greatly in the past few years. Results of tissue testing along with a soil test can provide a valuable guide to more efficient crop production. Soil tests provide a good estimate of lime and general fertilizer needs. By adding tissue analysis data, the user is able to better evaluate fertilizer and management practices more accurately by providing a thorough nutritional view of the crop. Several key uses of plant analysis include: evaluation of fertilizer efficiency, determination of availability of elements for which reliable soil tests are not available, and the ability to evaluate the interaction among plant nutrients.