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ARS Home » Plains Area » Fort Collins, Colorado » Center for Agricultural Resources Research » Soil Management and Sugarbeet Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #389765
Research Project: Management Practices for Long Term Productivity of Great Plains Agriculture

Location: Soil Management and Sugarbeet Research

Title: Development of a soil test correlation and calibration database for the USA

Author
item LYONS, SARAH - North Carolina State University
item Arthur, Dan
item SLATON, NATHAN - University Of Arkansas
item PEARCE, AUSTIN - North Carolina State University
item SPARGO, JOHN - Pennsylvania State University
item OSMOND, DEANNA - North Carolina State University
item Kleinman, Peter

Submitted to: Agricultural and Environmental Letters
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/13/2021
Publication Date: 12/14/2021
Citation: Lyons, S.E., Arthur, D.K., Slaton, N.A., Pearce, A.W., Spargo, J.T., Osmond, D.L., Kleinman, P.J. 2021. Development of a soil test correlation and calibration database for the USA. Agricultural and Environmental Letters. 6(4). Article e20058. https://doi.org/10.1002/ael2.20058.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/ael2.20058

Interpretive Summary: Fertilizer recommendations underpin sustainable agriculture. The Fertilizer Recommendation Support Tool (FRST) project was implemented in the United States to ensure that fertilizer recommendations, and the data upon which they derive, are transparent and accessible. The FRST Database now houses over 1,200 individual trials, and can be accessed through USDA's Agricultural Collaborative Research Outcomes System (AgCROS).

Technical Abstract: As part of the Fertilizer Recommendation Support Tool (FRST) project, the FRST Database was developed to consolidate and preserve U.S. soil test correlation and calibration data. Legacy P and K soil test data that met a minimum requirement were included in the database. The FRST Database initially included over 1,200 individual trials from a range of years, cropping systems, geographic regions, and management practices. The FRST Database is being migrated from a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet to a relational database format housed within the USDA-ARS Agricultural Collaborative Research Outcomes System (AgCROS) to be accessed via the online FRST decision support tool. Data will be continually added to the FRST Database through an online submission form following peer review by the FRST Team. The FRST Database and associated decision support tool will aid researchers, extension associates, consultants, and farmers in improving fertilizer recommendations for crops across the USA.