A survey of plant analysis interpretations and applications in the United States

Abstract

A survey was conducted of 55 state and 371 commercial laboratories throughout the United States in order to document the current applications of plant analyses and the extent of application of the diagnosis and recommendation integrated system (DRIS) and to identify factors that have hindered or facilitated the implementation of the DRIS. State labs listed “research”; and commercial labs listed “diagnosis of nutrient deficiencies”; as the most common uses for plant analyses. Plant analysis results were widely used in combination with soil tests when diagnosing nutrient deficiencies and recommending corrective action (96% of state labs and 92% of commercial labs diagnosing nutrient deficiencies). Nationwide, the sufficiency range was the most commonly identified method of interpreting plant analyses (61% of the state and 58% of the commercial labs). The DRIS was used more extensively in the North Central region (14 labs) than in any other region. The two most commonly identified factors hindering the implementation of the DRIS were 1) lack of field verification and/or calibration and correlation data and, 2) unfamiliarity with the system. Computer availability appears to be the most important factor facilitating the implementation of the DRIS.