Getting plant and soil sampling right is fundamental to the development of evidence based nutrient management plans for fertilizer and soil amendments.

To assist growers and advisors in this critical task, Fertilizer Australia has released the Fertcare Plant Sampling Guide, a companion document to the Fertcare Soil Sampling Guide. It contains special sections for temperate perennial trees and subtropical and tropical perennial trees.

Fertilizer Australia program manager Jeff Kraak said the guide contains the latest plant sampling information and has the support of leading plant nutrition scientists and practitioners.

“The content is applicable to a broad range of agricultural farming systems, including tree crops and provides practical advice on which sampling approach is best suited for planning, monitoring or diagnostic analysis.

“Special thanks goes to Dr Doris Blaesing from RM Consulting Group and Dr Chris Dowling from the Back Paddock Company who were involved in the preparation of the Fertcare Plant Sampling Guide.

“The document has undergone extensive review by experts in the field, including the Fertcare Technical Committee and the Fertcare ASPAC Committee.”

Mr Kraak said plant sampling is a key component of the evidence-based fertilizer recommendation ‘toolbox.’

“Employing accepted and standardised soil and plant sampling practices, using an ASPAC accredited lab, interpreting the results based on accepted plant response functions, and developing sound recommendations that account for environment and food safety risks, are all key Fertcare principles.”

The Fertcare Plant Sampling Guide can downloaded from the Fertcare website.