FRST: Online Database of Soil Test Data
We all know that crops are grown on sites that have varying soil types with varying soil properties, and that the different soil types are not equally productive based on their differences in fertility and non-fertility soil properties. However, soils at most sites can be productive if properly tested and fertilized according to test results and the crop being grown on the site. A first-of-its-kind online national database of soil test data and a decision support tool for fertilizer recommendations [Fertilizer Recommendation Support Tool –FRST] has been developed to address this.
Dr. Nathan Slaton at the Univ. of Arkansas was one of the leaders on a project that developed the FRST tool that uses science-based interpretation of soil-test phosphorus [P] and potassium [K] values for crop fertilization decisions. Click here for the tool and here for a user manual that explains how the tool works and how to use it for a production site.
FRST was developed from data collected across the U.S., and is designed to enhance P and K management to subsequently save farmers money and to reduce excess fertilization that leads to nutrient losses to the environment. The tool is designed to provide critical P and K soil-test values to indicate where there is no expected yield increase from P and K fertilizer applications. The current version includes data from over 2,500 P and K trials that were conducted with mostly corn and soybeans in 40 states and Puerto Rico.
The project involves more than 100 collaborators from various universities, USDA agencies, and non-profit and private organizations. The database used for the tool is based on soil-test correlation data that will be constantly updated as more data become available.
The FRST project has accomplished the following two objectives in advancing P and K management for crop production.
• Ensured that a national database was established to archive soil-test correlation and calibration research so that those data are not lost; and
• Provides a tool that anyone can use regardless of the crop they are growing or where/what site they are growing it on.
The FRST tool will 1) allow users to select nutrient, crop, location, soil series, and year, 2) provide critical P and K soil test values and the soil test value above which a crop yield increase is not expected with added fertilizer, and 3) help users interpret and supplement state-specific fertilizer guidelines.
The tool uses results from correlation studies to determine when nutrient concentrations in the soil reach a critical level, and results from calibration studies to identify how much of a specific fertilizer is needed for the crop being grown. It also provides a structure to address future research efforts in modeling, depth of soil sampling, and soil acidity and lime recommendations.
Click on the below titles to access results from research that were used to develop the FRST tool.
FRST: A national soil testing database to improve fertility recommendations.
Development of a soil test correlation and calibration database for the USA.
Minimum dataset and metadata guidelines for soil-test correlation and calibration research.
Composed by Larry G. Heatherly, Aug. 2024, larryh91746@gmail.com