An Industry Viewpoint: Horticultural Testing—Is Our Language Confusing?

Horticultural analytical services are coming out of the shadow of agronomic soil testing, but the multiplicity of test procedures and the numbers they generate appear to be confusing. Progressive horticulturists are not content with using knowledge and services within the confines of their immediate geographical area. Various horticultural publications provide a wealth of practical experience and research results from national and international sources. Growers commonly use a combination of university and private or commercial laboratory services. As valuable as this knowledge base may be, the results, recommendations, and information provided can lead to confusion rather than enlightenment. Scientific journal articles, university reports, horticultural trade articles, or troubleshooting using more than one analytical service often present conflicting information. One should not construe that we have not made progress in the area of analysis of organic media. We have made great progress. Horticulture is no longer the stepchild to agronomic analytical services. Specifically, nutrient extraction concentrations are now expressed as parts per million, rather than pounds per acre. Also, many private labs and some university labs now offer specific horticultural analyses in addition to the usual agronomic analysis. Furthermore, guidelines for interpreting results have in some instances been characterized for various commodity crops.