Fertilizer applications can be tracked for an individual planting by entering each fertilizer application into the “Fertilizer Summary Table.”   Additionally, a recommended nitrogen fertilizer rate can be determined using recently measured soil nitrate test values.  Ideally, the soil should be sampled within a few days of the planned fertilizer application.  Since soil nitrate can readily leach with percolating water, any irrigation events between soil sampling and fertilizing could affect the  nitrate level of the soil. 

To add a new fertilizer application, select the “new fertilization” button below and to the left side of the fertilizer summary table (Fig. 1) or select “New” and then “New Fertilization” from the “Quick View” screen (Fig 2).

Figure 1. Enter new fertilizer events by selecting “New Fertilization” below the fertilizer summary table.

Figure 2. New fertilizer events can be entered from the quick view screen by selecting “New” and  “New Fertilization.”

A fertilizer entry form will display for adding a new fertilizer event (Fig 3).  Enter the intended date for the fertilizer application and the estimated number of days until the next fertilizer application.  A default value for the fertilizer interval is displayed in the form, but it is important to change the value if it is not equal to the expected interval between fertilization events.  CropManage uses the days between fertilizer applications to estimate the nitrogen demand of the crop. 

Figure 3. Form for entering new fertilization events for a planting.

After entering the interval, choose the most recent soil nitrate sample to use for the nitrogen fertilizer recommendation (Fig. 4).    If no soil sample was collected or no recommendation is needed, then choose “no soil sample.”  One can update the N recommendation later if a new soil nitrate test is conducted.

Figure 4. Select the most recent soil nitrate sample to use for the N fertilizer recommendation.

Finally, choose the fertilizer that will be used from the drop down list (Fig. 5).  If the fertilizer is not on the list, you may need to ask the "virtual" ranch owner to add the fertilizer to the list.

Figure 5. Choose the fertilizer that will be used for the application from the fertilizer list.

Figure 6. Save after entries on the Fertilizer Application form.

After saving the entries to the fertilizer application form (Fig. 6), CropManage should take a few seconds to estimate the N requirement of the crop in units of lbs of N per acre and the fertilizer requirement in units of gallons per acre for liquid products or lbs per acre for dry products  (Fig. 7).  If no soil sample was selected then CropManage will not recommend a nitrogen fertilizer rate.  

Figure 7. The N recommendation for the crop is calculated after saving.

Figure 8. The amount of fertilizer applied can be entered or left blank so that it can be entered at a later time.

Enter the amount of fertilizer or nitrogen that will be applied into the form or leave this entry blank until a decision is made (Fig. 8).   Saving the form will add the new fertilizer application to the “Fertilizer Summary Table” (Fig. 9.)  The fertilizer entries can be edited at any time so that one can update the table when new information becomes available.

Figure 9. The fertilizer summary table displays the new fertilizer entry which includes the total N recommended and applied, the type of fertilizer applied and rate.

CropManage can recommend a nitrogen fertilizer rate for a crop based on the current nitrate status of the soil. Ideally, the soil should be sampled within a few days of the planned fertilizer application.  Since soil nitrate can readily leach with percolating water, any irrigation events between soil sampling and fertilizing could affect the nitrate level of the soil.    

After analyzing for the nitrate in the soil, one can enter the nitrate value for the planting into CropManage.   All soil test values are summarized in a soil summary table (Fig. 1) for each planting.  Although a range of soil test nutrients can be entered into the table, the default view displays soil nitrate values.  Soil nitrate values from either laboratory analyses or determined using the soil nitrate quick test can be entered for a planting by selecting the “new soil sample” button below the soil summary table (Fig. 1) or by selecting “New” and then “New Soil Sample” from the “Quick View” screen (Fig 2).

Figure 1. Enter new sample values by selecting “New Soil Sample” below the soil summary table.

Figure 2. New soil sample values can be entered from the quick view screen by selecting “New” and  “New Soil Sample.”

After selecting “new soil sample,” a blank form will display for entering soil test values (Fig 3).  Enter the date that the soil sample was collected and select whether the soil sample was analyzed by a laboratory test or using the quick nitrate test strip.   For analyses by the quick nitrate test strip, enter the strip reading in units of ppm of nitrate.  For laboratory analyses of nitrate, enter the nitrate value in units of ppm of N.  The conversion between nitrate and nitrogen equivalents is: Nitrate (ppm) = Nitrate-N (ppm) ×4.43

Figure 3. Form for entering new soil test values for a planting.

Select if the soil was collected moist or dry when using the soil nitrate quick test.   The soil moisture information is not needed for laboratory analyses, since these samples are air-dried, and therefore the initial moisture content of the sample will not affect the calculations for estimating soil nitrate concentration.  Next enter the depth that the soil sample was collected.  If the sample was collected from both the 1 and 2 foot depths on the same day, then enter one sample for the 1st foot and then enter another sample for the 2^nd foot depth.  After selecting the crop stage when the field was sampled, click on “save sample” before leaving the screen (Fig. 4).

Figure 4. Soil test entry form is filled out for new soil test value before saving.

After selecting save sample, CropManage will add the sample to the soil summary table (Fig. 5).  CropManage automatically convert values from the soil nitrate quick test to ppm of soil nitrate-N.  The software will also express the soil nitrate value in pounds (lbs) of N/acre per foot of soil depth for the laboratory and soil nitrate quick tests.   After entering the soil nitrate test values the data is available for making nitrogen fertilizer recommendations in the fertilizer summary table.

Figure 5. Soil Summary table is updated after entering a new soil sample value.

Dear CropManage Users,

We would like to bring to your attention 2 important educational meetings on irrigation and nutrient management.   The first meeting is the California Plant and Soil Conference that will be held in Fresno CA on Feb 4^th and 5^th.   This conference has several sessions covering state-wide issues on irrigation and nutrient management, including the management of salinity and preparing for drought conditions.  Please refer to the announcement below for further details.

In addition to the Plant and Soil Conference, the 2014 Irrigation and Nutrient Management Meeting will be held on February 12^th at the UC Cooperative Extension Office in Salinas CA (see announcement below).   This meeting will focus on coastal vegetables, presenting current research results on water and nutrient management.   Results of replicated trials evaluating using ET data for scheduling irrigations in lettuce and broccoli will be presented as well as results from N management trials.  Also, an overview of salt management in vegetable systems will be covered.  There is no registration fee for this meeting.

We will provide a pizza lunch after the morning session, and then hold a brief field meeting on cover crop management in organic vegetables and strawberries at the USDA-ARS Spence research farm in the afternoon.

With growers facing drought conditions during the upcoming season and ever stricter water quality regulations, both meetings should be very worthwhile.

Best Regards,

Michael Cahn and Richard Smith

UC Cooperative Extension, Monterey County

University of California Cooperative Extension, Monterey County

2014 Irrigation and Nutrient Management Meeting

Agricultural Center 1432 Abbott Street, Salinas, CA

Wednesday, February 12

7:45 a.m. to 1:45 p.m.

7:45             Registration and Refreshments

8:00             Fertilizer value of nitrate in irrigation water Mike Cahn, Irrigation and Water Resources Farm Advisor, Monterey County

8:30             Strategies to reduce nitrate losses from leaching and runoff on organic farms  Eric Brennan, Research Horticulturalist, USDA ARS, Salinas

9:00            Update on nitrogen uptake by cole crops Richard Smith, Vegetable Crop Farm Advisor, Monterey County

9:30            ET-based irrigation scheduling of lettuce, broccoli, and other cool-season vegetables Lee Johnson, Senior Research Scientist, CSUMB/NASA    

10:00           Break

10:30           Nutrient budgets for vegetables Tim Hartz, Vegetable Crops Specialist, UC Davis

11:00            Managing salts in vegetable production Steve Grattan, Extension Specialist

11:30           Controlled release N sources for desert vegetables and evaluation of AVP-OX vegetables

for improved P use efficiency  Charles Sanchez, Soil Science Professor, University of Arizona, Yuma Agricultural Center

12:00           Conclusion and Pizza Lunch

Afternoon Session:

12:45           Low residue mustard cover crops for organic vegetable and strawberry production, USDA ARS Spence Farm, 1572 Old Stage Road, Salinas 

Eric Brennan, Roy Fuentes, Richard Smith and Mike Cahn

1:45             Conclusion    

*  Sponsors: University of California Cooperative Extension; Resource Conservation District (RCD);

*  Certified Crop Advisor Credits have been requested

*  For more information call Richard Smith 759-7357 or Michael Cahn 759-7377

Plant and Soil Conference Announcement

The 43^th annual California ASA Plant and Soil Conference will be held on Tuesday and Wednesday, Feb. 4 & 5, 2014 at the Radisson Hotel and Convention Center in Fresno, CA.  Sponsored by the California Chapter of the American Society of Agronomy and the California Certified Crop Advisors, the conference will focus on current agronomic topics that are of importance to growers, consultants, suppliers, educators and governmental organizations.

 The theme of this year’s general session is “Building Resiliency in California Agriculture” with speakers from the agriculture industry and research institutions.

 The conference includes technical sessions on a wide range of topics including:

• Nutrient management in annual and perennial crops
• Salinity management in crop production
• Water and drought management
• Pest management
• Waste water and manure management issues
• Soil quality and the effect of agricultural practices

A poster session including submissions from students and professionals will be featured at a complimentary reception with wine and hors d’oeuvres at the end of the first day of the conference.  Continuing education credit will be available for Pest Control Advisors and Certified Crop Advisors.

A detailed program for the 2014 conference, along with the registration and continuing education credit information, is available at the California ASA website  http://calasa.ucdavis.edu .   For more Information, contact Steve Grattan srgrattan@ucdavis.edu or Dave Goorahoo, ASA California Chapter President at dgooraho@csufresno.edu or (559) 278-8448

Hotel reservation information:

Radisson Hotel and Conference Center Fresno

2233 Ventura Street

Fresno, CA 93721

Phone: 559-268-1000

Toll free: 800-333-3333

Tell them you are with the California Chapter of the American Society of Agronomy meeting

Online: www.radisson.com/agronomy

Room rate $99.00

End date for the conference room rate is January 21, 2014

Users often need to export data entered into CropManage. Perhaps the irrigation or soil data for a planting is needed for another software application or to email to someone.   One can export data for a ranch by selecting the export option below the list of plantings (button next to the arrow in Fig. 1).   If this button does not appear below the list of plantings, then the “ranch owner,” the person in charge of the ranch, has not set the permissions for the user to export data.  

Figure 1.  Select “Export Data” to view data export options.

Figure 2.  Choose the data option for exporting all ranch data to an excel workbook.

Assuming that one has permission to export data, select the “Export Data” button and the options to export “ranch and planting data” or “ranch, planting, and raw data” will be displayed (Fig. 2).   Selecting either option will download the ranch data and all the data in the planting tables (soil, fertilizer, water) into excel worksheet files (Fig. 3). 

Figure 3.  Data from a ranch are exported to a zip file with separate excel spreadsheet files for each planting.

Selecting the option with “raw data” will also download the daily data used in the decision support calculations for each planting.   Usually one would not select this second option unless interested to view the calculations behind CropManage recommendations.     Note that each planting has a separate excel file entitled “Events for name of planting”.  Each planting file has tables summarizing  soil, fertilizer, and irrigation information displayed in CropManage (Fig. 4).  The ranch data (list of fields, soil type, well data, etc) is downloaded to a separate file entitled “ranch .”

Figure 4.  Excel spreadsheet displaying soil, fertilizer, and water data for a planting.