With fertiliser prices rising, a soil analysis is one of the cheapest ways a grain farmer can avoid wasting money on nutrients the crop does not need, a South African crop nutrition specialist told Farmer's Weekly.
"Soil analysis is definitely worth the expense," said Dr Karen Truter, technical marketing specialist for crop nutrition at InteliGro Crop Solutions and a former agronomist with fertiliser supplier Nitrophoska. A maize grower invests between R6,000 and R11,000 a hectare in inputs, and fertiliser can make up about 30% to 40% of total production cost, while an analysis costs R200 to R300.
A basic fertiliser plan can be drawn up from the expected yield and the crop's nutrient use, but Truter said that is only a general guide. A recent full analysis, covering macro- and microelements, pH and the other factors that govern how available nutrients are, lets a programme be set with far more accuracy.
Without it, a farmer risks applying too much fertiliser, which adds cost and can harm the environment, or too little, which limits yield and profit. The biggest saving, she said, comes from avoiding unnecessary applications: if phosphate levels are already sufficient, the grower can cut the amount of MAP without giving up yield potential, and even a small cut pays for the test.
The analysis can also show the opposite, a shortage that would quietly hold back the crop. Truter stressed that an analysis is only as good as the sample it comes from, so how and where soil is taken in the field matters as much as the laboratory work.
For smallholders who buy fertiliser in a rising market, the lesson travels well: a test before buying is usually cheaper than a bag spread where it is not needed.
The article was written by Jeanne van der Merwe.
Photo: Jeff Vanuga, USDA NRCS / Wikimedia Commons (public domain)
Source: Farmers Weekly South Africa
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