PlantSap Recommendation
Make better-informed crop adjustments while the season is still underway.
Plant sap results are rich but hard to read: more than 20 parameters, two leaves, and target ranges that differ by laboratory and crop. SoilBeat turns your lab report into a clear plant sap report per management zone: the status of every nutrient, what changed since the last sample, and the few points that deserve attention first.
Developed in the SNN project, co-funded by the European Union · Your target values · Reviewed by your agronomist
The challenge
In-season decisions on data that is hard to read
Plant sap analysis shows what is happening inside the crop while you can still act. But the window is short, and turning a lab report into a decision takes time and expertise.
The window to adjust is short
Many deficiencies only become visible when it is too late to correct them. Calcium in fruit, potassium before bulking and boron around flowering all need attention before symptoms appear.
Two leaves, twenty-plus parameters
A sap report lists more than 20 values for both young and old leaves. Which ones matter, and which deviations are linked, is not obvious at a glance.
The same number can mean different things
A low value in the old leaf means something different for a mobile nutrient such as potassium than for an immobile one such as calcium. The relationship between the two leaves tells part of the story.
Targets are not universal
Reference ranges differ by laboratory, crop and extraction method. A value is only meaningful against the right target, and some results, such as ammonium after transport, need careful reading.
A plant sap result is the start of an investigation, not a prescription.
Seasonal insights
Timing matters: sample before the critical window
Nutrient problems that build up during the season often only show at harvest. These are three examples of why in-season monitoring pays off.
Calcium in fruit
Critical from fruit set through rapid fruit expansion. Calcium moves with water and can’t be relocated once tissue has formed, so monitor early and mid-season. Left too late, bitter pit and bruising only show at harvest or in storage.
Potassium during bulking and grain fill
Demand peaks as tubers, roots and seeds fill. Monitor just before bulking or grain fill; the crop can look fine while sugar levels or test weight fall short at harvest.
Boron around flowering
Boron is immobile in the plant and needs a continuous supply. Monitor just before flowering and during fruit set, because poor fruit set or misshapen fruit can’t be corrected afterwards.
What we offer
A clear plant sap report for every management zone
Send your laboratory report and receive a structured, editable report that your agronomist can review and share with the grower.
Overview per management zone
One report covers all sampled zones, with an at-a-glance summary for each zone and the priority actions side by side.
Up to five points that matter
Instead of listing every deviation, each zone gets a headline conclusion and at most five attention points, each linked to the nutrients involved and a possible next step.
Nutrient status at a glance
For every nutrient: old- and young-leaf values against the target, a clear status from deficient to excessive, the risk for crop and yield, and what to check or consider.
Trends since the last sample
When an earlier sample from the same zone and crop exists, the report shows what has improved and what has worsened. A falling value that is already low weighs more heavily than one that is recovering.
Your own target values
Use the laboratory’s ranges or apply your own target set per nutrient and per leaf. The classification follows the targets you choose.
Editable, in your language
Edit the narrative, add field observations and tailor the report to the grower. Reports are available in several languages, so growers read them in their own.
Your measurements. Your target values. Your agronomic judgement.
How it works
From lab report to reviewed advice in six steps
Classification and interpretation are separate steps, so you always see what was measured before you read what it might mean.
Send your sap report
Upload your plant sap lab report in SoilBeat or email it to plant-sap-analysis@mg.soilbeat.com. Samples are linked to the right management zone and crop, with young- and old-leaf results kept apart.
Set the targets
By default each nutrient is compared with the laboratory’s own target range for that leaf. If you have your own target set, it replaces the lab values per nutrient and per leaf. For raspberry, blueberry, cucumber, pepper and field and greenhouse tomato, crop-specific limits sharpen the classification.
Classify every nutrient
Each value is placed on a five-point scale: deficient, low, sufficient, high or excessive. The limits are set per nutrient: tighter on the deficiency side for nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus, magnesium, iron and manganese, and with more room on the excess side.
Read the young and old leaf together
For mobile nutrients such as nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus and magnesium, the ratio between old and young leaf is read first. The absolute values, compared with the middle of the target range, then put that ratio in context. Immobile nutrients are judged on the young leaf.
Interpret with context
An AI-assisted interpretation, guided by the SoilBeat methodology, writes the headline conclusion, the attention points and a short analysis per nutrient. It compares with the previous sample, looks for interactions and names what the sap data can’t show, such as soil, recent applications or weather, and how to check it.
Review, share and follow up
The agronomist reviews and edits the report, adds field observations and shares it with the grower. Resample under comparable conditions to see whether the pattern is moving in the right direction.
The report doesn’t prescribe products or rates. It shows what deserves attention; the agronomist decides what to do.
The SoilBeat methodology
Built on how experienced sap agronomists read a report
The classification was developed and reviewed with the agronomists in the SNN project. It follows the way they read a sap report in practice: ratio first, absolute values as context, and a clear status rather than over-interpretation.
Ratio first, then absolute values
For mobile nutrients the balance between old and young leaf comes first. Where both leaves sit relative to the middle of the target range then decides how serious that balance is.
Limits per nutrient and per crop
Instead of one margin for every nutrient, each nutrient has its own deficiency and excess limits, and six crops have their own crop-specific limits. That makes the status more precise.
A clear status, not a guess
The report states plainly whether a nutrient is deficient, low, sufficient, high or excessive. Possible causes are offered as questions to check, never as a diagnosis.
No single measurement proves the cause of a crop problem. Different classification approaches can give different answers, so the method is documented and your targets always come first.
Developed in the SNN project. Co-funded by the European Union.
PlantSap Recommendation was developed in the SNN project together with four agronomists, two universities, a technology partner and around 60 participating farmers. Partners: SoilBeat (platform and data), University of Groningen (soil biology), Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (AI and machine learning), CO2L Farming (regenerative farming and farmer guidance), GroeiBalans (agronomy and plant sap interpretation), Mulder Agro (soil health and agronomic advice) and WeerBaar Telen (crop resilience and plant sap interpretation).
Co-funded by the European Union. Project period: 15 October 2023 – 31 December 2026.
Meet the SNN partnersSend us your next plant sap report.
Email your laboratory report to plant-sap-analysis@mg.soilbeat.com and receive a structured report per management zone, ready for your agronomist to review.
Questions about SoilBeat
What should I know before starting?
What is PlantSap Recommendation?
A SoilBeat module that turns plant sap lab results into a structured, editable report per management zone: nutrient status for young and old leaf, trends since the previous sample, a headline conclusion and up to five attention points. Read our guide to plant sap analysis.
How do I get a report?
Upload your plant sap lab report in SoilBeat, or email it to plant-sap-analysis@mg.soilbeat.com. The results are linked to the management zone and crop, and the report is ready for your agronomist to review. Check supported lab reports.
Can I use my own target values?
Yes. By default each nutrient is compared with the laboratory’s target range for that leaf. If you link your own target set, it replaces the lab values per nutrient and per leaf. See how recommendations work.
Why look at the ratio between old and young leaf first?
For mobile nutrients the plant can move reserves from old to young leaves, so the balance between the two says a lot about supply and demand. The absolute values then show how serious that balance is. Immobile nutrients, such as calcium and boron, are judged on the young leaf. Compare soil, tissue and sap analysis.
Which crops have crop-specific limits?
Raspberry, blueberry, cucumber, pepper, field tomato and greenhouse tomato. For other crops, the limits follow the target range with nutrient-specific margins. Explore SoilBeat for horticulture.
Does the report tell me which fertilizer to apply?
No. It shows which nutrients deserve attention, possible causes and how to check them. The agronomist decides on any product, rate or timing, for example with the soil balance or multizone calculator. Explore the multizone fertilizer calculator.
Is the interpretation written by AI?
The written interpretation is AI-assisted and follows the SoilBeat methodology. It doesn’t invent data, names what it can’t see and is reviewed and edited by the agronomist before the grower receives it. Explore agronomic intelligence.
Can one report cover several zones and languages?
Yes. A report can cover all sampled management zones, each with its own summary and attention points, and reports are available in several languages. Explore SoilBeat for agronomists.
Can it diagnose pests, diseases or drought stress?
No. A nutrient imbalance can be one contributing factor, but susceptibility also depends on the crop, organism, weather and growth stage. The report shows nutritional patterns worth investigating. Read about pest and disease management.
Which lab reports does it read?
Plant sap reports with separate young- and old-leaf results, such as NovaCropControl reports. Check the list of supported lab reports for other laboratories. Check supported lab reports.
Related pages
Explore more
Plant sap analysis guide
What plant sap analysis measures, how to sample and how to read the results.
Soil vs tissue vs sap analysis
Which test answers which question, by crop stage.
The SNN project
The research project behind PlantSap Recommendation, and its partners.
Fertigation Recommendation
Combine irrigation-water, drainage and plant sap analyses in one report.
Know what your crop needs while there’s still time to act.
Book a 30-minute demo and bring a recent plant sap report.