Are you familiair with plant sap analysis? Plant sap measurements show in a detailed and fast way the actual uptake of nutrients in the plant. Basically a kind of blood test with which you can easily measure deficiencies and excesses. Optimal uptake is good for the plant's disease resistance. Moreover, it is beneficial for the quality, strength and shelf life of fruits. How can you use plantsap analysis for more yield and less fertilizer?
In this blog, the background of plant sap analysis is explained and how you can use it in your transition to regenerative agriculture with SoilBeat.
Photo by tache
More yield, less fertilizer with plantsap analysis
Did you know that plant sap analysis has been used for a long time in greenhouse crop production, and increasingly among horticulturists? What makes plant sap analysis really essential is the fact that you can look 3 weeks into the future by comparing a young leaf with an old leaf. This allows you to anticipate with foresight to keep your plants vital. As a result you need to compensate much less with pesticides and fertilizers. A major cost saving that will significantly increase your yield!
The Netherlands
The Dutch NovaCropControl is the laboratory that is known worldwide for its expertise in plant sap measurements. They have put plant sap measurements on the map again! The Dutch foundation CO2L-Farming Advies also has in-house consultants who can help you interpret the results.
Crop consultant John Kempf, founder of Advancing Eco Agriculture also came into contact with plant sap measurements through the Netherlands. He says that plantsap analysis can provide you the best agronomic information you will ever collect. Using sap analysis will help you to reduce fertilizer applications and it can better determine when fertilizer applications should occur to make it more efficient. He recommends that you test every 14 days so that you can see the graph nutrient movement through the season. ''Select a couple of indicator fields and test them consistently throughout the entire year'', Kempf says, ''it will be the most valuable agronomic information you'll ever collect.''
John Kempf: Plant sap analysis can provide you the best agronomic information you will ever collect.
In this article you can read more about his story, he explains the difference with tissue testing and gives tips, for example on how best to get started.
SoilBeat
SoilBeat helps agronomists to save time, provide better recommendations and help more farmers.
SoilBeat is a powerful solution that analyses soil & plant data, enabling agronomists to provide better guidance to their farmer customers while saving time. With the streamlined workflow and shared interfaces, SoilBeat makes the interaction with the farmer easy and straightforward.
SoilBeat helps you with action plans based on your plant sap measurements – making it easy to transition to regenerative agriculture and monitor your nature-inclusive farming practices.
SoilBeat helps farmers to maintain yields, boost plant & soil health and get incentivized for ecosystem services as they transition to regenerative agriculture.
Our intuitive app is conveniently shared with agronomists for expert guidance and helps to translate soil & plant data into actionable nutrient and treatment recommendations, while the dashboard makes it easy to monitor the effectiveness.
Why don't you give SoilBeat a try and find out for yourself? Get a demo account!
Do you want to read more about plant sap analysis? Have a look at the following interesting sources:
Our FAQ about plantsap analyses
Acres USA: Plant sap analysis (handouts)
Advancing Eco Agriculture about Plant Health
Advanced Eco Ag - The Plant Health Pyramid
John Kempf: all he has written about plant sap
Research on Plant Sap Test as Guide for Foliar N, K, Mn, and Lime on Cotton and Soybean
Aptus Plant Tech - Nutrient Interactions & Antagonism
New Age laboratories - Plant Sap Analysis
NovaCropControl - Plant sap- and water analyses