To Scoop or to Weigh? Impact On Environmental Risk Indicator-Based Nutrient Management.

With the increasing national attention being paid to soil testing and its role in farm nutrient and environmental management, the 2007soil test database of the Cornell Nutrient Analysis Laboratory (nearly 14000 samples from 50 New York counties) was analyzed to determine: (1) variability in soil weights using the scoop technique, (2) impact of organic matter and soil mineralogy on the variability of soil test weights, and (3) impact of the soil weight variability on environmental based nutrient management decisions. The sample weights ranged from 3 to 16.5g with an average of 9.878g using a 8.5 cl scoop.  The calculated bulk density ranged between 0.412 to 1.941g/cl.  Distribution of samples along with median and average values of the soil weights and impact of the soil weight variability on nitrate, phosphorus, and potassium test results will be presented and discussed.