The Value of Pre-Plant Soil Nitrate Testing

Jan 27, 2015

By Mark Lundy

Here's what 8 ppm soil nitrate-N looks like at tillering. The top photo is from a wheat field where the pre-plant NO3-N was 6 ppm in the top foot.

The bottom photo is from an adjacent field with the same soil type, variety, and planting date, but different historical management, where the pre-plant NO3-N was 14 ppm in the top foot.

The extra 32-40 lb of available N per acre predicted by the 8 ppm difference in pre-plant soil NO3-N test can be easily observed in the difference in plant growth and color in the unfertilized portions of the two fields (outlined in red).

6ppmPreplantNitrate

14ppmPreplantNitrate

A nice, visual example of how real-time measurements of the soil/plant environment can help to inform N fertilization decisions.

Source:ucanr.edu

Video: Finding a Balance of Innovation and Regulation - Dr. Peter Facchini

Regulations help markets and industry exist on level playing fields, keeping consumers safe and innovation from going too far. However, incredibly strict regulations can stunt innovation and cause entire industries to wither away. Dr. Peter James Facchini brings his perspective on how existing regulations have slowed the advancement of medical developments within Canada. Given the international concern of opium poppy’s illicit potential, Health Canada must abide by this global policy. But with modern technology pushing the development of many pharmaceuticals to being grown via fermentation, is it time to reconsider the rules?

Dr. Peter James Facchini leads research into the metabolic biochemistry in opium poppy at the University of Calgary. For more than 30 years, his work has contributed to the increased availability of benzylisoquinoline alkaloid biosynthetic genes to assist in the creation of morphine for pharmaceutical use. Dr. Facchini completed his B.Sc. and Ph.D. in Biological Sciences at the University of Toronto before completing Postdoctoral Fellowships in Biochemistry at the University of Kentucky in 1992 & Université de Montréal in 1995.