K-State Ag Today: Timing critical for accurate corn analysis
8:36 a.m. Thursday, July 17, 2008
Plant analysis is an effective, yet inexpensive test most corn producers can afford, so much so that some produces conduct multiple tests.
Dave Mengel, a professor in the Department of Agronomy at Kansas State University, says pulling 20 to 25 ear leaves from individual plants is easy; the challenge is to pull the leaves at the right stage of development.
“The one key element is to make sure you’re there at the right time. The calibrations are all set up to try to maximize the amount of nutrients present in the leaf, and that occurs just prior to pollination. So, what we would look for, would be the ear shoots just coming out, or the green silks, so, shortly after tasseling, to the point where the silks are still green and they’ve not pollinated," Mengel said.
Producers are going to get an abnormally low reading if they sample crops where the pollination process has already begun or the silks have turned brown. That indicates the nutrients are moving out of the leaf, he said.
Mengel adds that plant analysis can fill in the gaps left by soil testing.
After your sample leaves have dried out for a couple of days, place them in a paper envelope or bag for transport. Avoid putting samples in plastic bags, as humidity could build up and spoil the leaves.
You can find more information at your local extension office or at the links below:
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