The First Harvest Farm Management, LLC “Competitive Seed Comparison Plot” as a service to producers thinking about soil testing and tissue analysis, instituted a plan for in-season tissue health sampling for the 2020 plot provided by RPM Soils, LLC soil testing and analysis service operated by Pike County native Janette (Swartz) Porter. This post includes summary tissue analysis for two separate sample dates, approximately 6 weeks apart this growing season. The first set of tissue samples were pulled approximately 5 weeks after planting on May 27th when the corn was in the V-2 to V-3 vegetative stage of growth, and after roughly 400 accumulated G.D.U.’s. For this sampling regimen, the entire plant was submitted to the soil testing lab for analysis. The follow-up samples, taken the beginning of the second week of July, or roughly 10 weeks post-planting with 1425 accumulated G.D.U.’s, when the corn was just beginning to reach tassel stage included harvesting plant leaves including the ear leaf to allow the lab to analyze the nutrient uptake so critical to meeting yield potential and maintaining overall plant health.
The following reports summarize the two tissue testing dates and provide a snapshot of overall plant nutrition at the two sampling dates. For each testing date (May 27 and July 8), the one-page Summary Soil Health and Fertility Report gives an overall snap shot of the field fertility based on in-season soil testing. For each testing date, reports for the tissue analysis evaluating each of the four replications in the plot for each hybrid follow the Soil Health Report for each testing date. On the first page of each of the individual Plant Tissue Analysis reports, the recommended sufficiency range for each macro and micro nutrient is listed to the right side of each nutrient. Directly below is Janette’s overall summary comments on her findings during her two field inspections.
By comparing each nutrient’s actual levels to the recommended levels gives the observer a snapshot of how the plants are utilizing the macro nutrients annually applied as well as the micro nutrients, generally already available in the plot field soil profile for use by the rowing crop.
The above graphs summarize the key Secondary Macro-Nutrient test levels from tissue test date May 27, 2020 for each of the Biologic Replications plus the Untreated replication
The above graphs summarize the key Secondary Macro-Nutrient test levels from tissue test date July 8, 2020 for each of the Biologic Replications plus the Untreated replication
