5园艺科学Growth Environment-2.ppt

Recommendations for fertilizing fruit and vegetable crops are based in part on soil test results. Soil testing provides information on lime and fertilizer needs prior to planting and is particularly well calibrated for nutrients such as phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, calcium, sulfur, zinc, and boron. Soil testing prior to planting leads to more efficient nutrient management. Soil Test for Horticultural Crops Soil samples can be collected through much of the year, although fall (September to December) or spring (February to April) are the best times. Fall sampling will often result in a faster return of results and recommendations. Common soil sampling equipments Soil core depth Current soil-test interpretations used for environmental horticulture crops 1. For established lawns, sample the top 2 inches of soil only. 2. For areas to be tilled up for a new lawn, sample the top 4 inches of soil. 3. Sample problem areas and areas within shrubs or flowerbeds separate from other turf of lawn areas. 4. Sample front and back yards separately. 5. For lawn samples, do not sample under the dripline of trees. 6. Do not take samples close to driveways or streets, unless this is treated as a problem area, which would require a separate sample. Lawns and Turfgrasses 1. Sample the top 8 or 12 inches of soil. 2. Take separate samples for each block or different flower variety. 3. For large fields, up to 30 soil core samples may be needed per sample. Commercial Production of Field-Grown Flowers Commercial Vegetable Fields 1. Sample the top 8 to 12 inches of soil. 1. Sample the top 12 to 18 inches of soil. 2. Take samples from dripline area under branch tips (or closer to trunk for newly planted trees). Tree Fruits After all cores from one crop area are collected and placed in the bucket, crush the materials and mix the sample thoroughly. Allow the sample to air dry in an open space free from contamination. Spread the soil out to dry on newspapers. Do not dry the sample in a