Differences of agronomic soil tests in identifying nutrient deficiencies

Article: Do different agronomic soil tests identify similar nutrient deficiencies?

Authors: Mattila, Tuomas & Rajala, Jukka

Publication: Soil Use and Management

Year: 2021

In this study, five commercially available soil tests, which evaluate soil nutrient levels, were compared using soil samples collected from 24 fields during a short-term (4 years) soil quality experiment. The different tests resulted in different magnitudes of nutrients, but the results were correlated. However, the tests identified different nutrient deficiencies. Local calibration is needed for interpretation of the tests’ results for the nutrient deficiencies. The findings indicated that soil testing should be used as a complementary tool, and not a replacement for plant tissue testing.