What’s the difference between a soil test and tissue testing? It’s pretty simple — soil tests measure available nutrients while tissue tests assess nutrient uptake and utilization.
Growers use both practices to manage crop nutrients and understanding the nuances of each method plays a key role in ensuring crops have timely access to nutrients, say two of Ontario’s leading agronomists who specialize in soil and tissue testing.
At the Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association’s MicroSmart Deep Dive meeting in Kingston, Jack Legg with SGS Canada and Chris Rowlands with Honeyland Ag, highlighted the significance of micronutrients like zinc, manganese, and boron, noting their varying optimal values and the challenges in testing them due to their fluctuating availability in the soil.
In this interview with RealAgriculture’s Bernard Tobin, Rowlands introduces the acronym “GEM” — genetics, environment and management — to explain the factors influencing soil and tissue tests. He looks at manganese and boron deficiencies, noting that foliar applications of manganese can temporarily improve crop health, but may not provide long-term solutions. He also focuses on the fickle nature of boron, which can have significant fluctuations in availability and uptake by plants, making tissue testing challenging.
The experts dive into timing strategies with Legg recommending soil testing every three years, but tissue testing is recommended more frequently for better management. Both agronomists agree that tissue testing at three points of the growing season — early season, mid-vegetative growth stage, and reproductive stage — is a simple and effective approach. Legg notes that while weekly testing is ideal, it may not be practical for most growers. Listen to the interview below.
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