Soil Fertility

Soil Sampling

Soil sampling is needed to determine soil nutrient needs and optimize fertilizer use and to assess soil variability across the field. See these guides for further information:

Nebraska Fertilizer Nitrogen Recommendations

pale corn plant

Nutrient Deficiencies

Plant symptoms can be used to differentiate and identify crop nutrient disorders. Symptoms of nutrient deficiency vary with variety, growing conditions, and plant age. Similar symptoms may be caused by other abiotic or biotic stresses. Use these symptom keys to help identify nutrient disorders observed in Nebraska corn and sorghum, soybean, or wheat and small grains.

For more information on these and related topics, see the UNL Extension publication,Nutrient Management for Agronomic Crops in Nebraska,EC155, available online, or in soft cover through your local Extension office.

Soil Management Software

Related Articles

Corn stubble burning
The Exchange team weighs in on soil health factors that may be contributing to lower yields in irrigated corn this year, following wildfires that scorched southeast Nebraska fields during the fall of 2022.

The Soil Health Exchange: Are Soil Health Factors Impacting Yield Following Wildfire?

October 17, 2023
UNL experts weigh in on soil health factors that may be contributing to lower yields in irrigated corn this year, after wildfires scorched southeast Nebraska fields during the fall of 2022.

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Orchard with mustard cover crop
Figure 1.A comparison of bare ground vs. cover crop for two adjacent almond orchards after receiving 3/4-inch of rain. The grower, Donny Hicks, used mustards to breakup compaction and improve infiltration in his orchard soil. (Photo courtesy Donny Hicks)

The Soil Health Exchange: Natural Solutions to Soil Compaction — Beyond Mechanical Means and Cover Crops

2023年10月5日
Soil health experts share techniques for reducing soil compaction without the use of long-term cover crops.

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MICRA project team posing for photo
The University of Nebraska–Lincoln team working on the MICRA project includes (from left) Taro Mieno, agricultural economics; Daniel Schachtman, agronomy and horticulture; Saleh Taghvaeian, biological systems engineering; and Seunghee Kim, civil engineering. (Photo by Nick Kumpula, Research and Economic Development)

Nebraska Part of Interdisciplinary Team Examining Climate Resiliency Through Soil

September 28, 2023
The research team will experiment with soil amendments and biochar to measure their impact on soil water-holding capacity to find ways to improve preservation of soil moisture in farm fields.

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Man assessing soil in field
The Soil Health Exchange is a new discussion forum, designed to give producers and ag stakeholders an avenue for direct communication with some of Nebraska's leading soil health experts for help with their soil health concerns, interpreting test reports and more.

Announcing: The Soil Health Exchange

September 27, 2023
The Soil Health Exchange is a new online forum where producers and ag stakeholders can engage with a team of soil health experts to discuss production issues and ideas, get assistance with understanding test results, and more.

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Aaron Hird gestures to soil and water samples
Aaron Hird, USDA NRCS state soil health specialist, demonstrates the outcome of different soil health practices with a rainfall simulation to Nebraska Soil Health School attendees at UNL’s Haskell Ag Lab on Aug. 2.

Nebraska Soil Health School: A Success Story of Collaboration and Learning

September 12, 2023
During its inaugural year, the Nebraska Soil Health School educated more than 200 producers and ag industry stakeholders on the latest research and practices for healthy soils to increase crop productivity.

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