Nutrient Budget Assignment

Use Unit 1.11a: Demonstration 2: Interpreting Soil Test Reports - Step-by-step Instructions for Students (pages 31-34) to guide you through the process of reading and interpreting an A and L soil analysis report and to help you calculate amendment needs.

1. Download the following Example Soil Report from A and L Labs and use sample #130-1. (If you have an A and L laboratory analysis of your own, you may use this rather than the one provided. Please write to us if this is your intention and provide us w/ a copy of the report).

2. Follow directions outlined in the document entitled "Hands-on Exercise 1: Reading and Interpreting Soil Analysis Reports, Nutrient Budgeting, and Selecting Mineral and Organic Matter Soil Amendments" in Unit_1.11b: Reading and Interpreting Soil Analysis Reports. Fill out Appendix 1 (page 49), Appendix 2 (pages 51-55), and Appendix 4 (page 59) to turn in. The other Appendices will provide info that will help you fill out the nutrient budget and nitrogen budget worksheets.

The assignment - completing both a nutrient budget and a nitrogen budget- is due in class on Oct. 23rd and counts as two quiz grades. Please write or speak with Nathan or Albie if you have any questions.

FAQs...

Do I need to do a written explanation or write-up like it says on the first page?

No, you just need to fill in the blanks on Appendices 1, 2, & 4 and hand those worksheets in.

Do we have to fill in carbonate at the top of the nutrient budget?

No. At the top of Appendix 2, you can leave CO3 and HCO3 blank, but fill in %OM, pH, CEC, and soil texture.

Do I need to fill in the column for nitrate (NO3) on Appendix 2 (p. 53)?  I can't find the  optimal range in ppm for N...

No, you can leave the NO3 column blank.  Just worry about N in the N budget worksheet (Appendix 4).

Which phosphorus do we use?

Use P1 for Phosphorus (you can leave the P2 column blank).

What do we use for prices?

Don't worry about calculating prices (lines N thru P).

There are no percentages for micronutrients, so how do we know how much to add?

Don't worry about it. For the micronutrients on the Appendix 2 (p. 55) sheet, just calculate everything through line G.  You don't have to calculate how much of a particular amendment you need to add b/c you don't actually have micronutrient concentrations for the amendments like you do for N, P, K, Ca, Mg, and S.

Which vegetable should we choose for our budgets?

For lbs/ac nutrients required in Appendix 2 (nutrient budget), don't calculate nutrients needed by a specific vegetable, but rather use the optimum range based on CEC (p. 63).  For the N budget, however, pick a vegetable from p. 69 and base your calculations on that (and be sure to tell us what kind of vegetable you're calculating for).

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