North Dakota State University is out with a new publication of fertilizer recommendations, tables and equations. This publication contains changes from previous publications. Changes to tables were based on new or re-evaluated data.

Fertilizer needs should be determined after evaluating the current fertility level of the soil through soil testing, preferably using a site-specifc zone sampling approach, and the nutrient needs of the crop to be grown, and knowing the historic productivity of the soil, says Dave Franzen, NDSU Extension soil specialist

The yield potential must be based on historical yield productivity for a feld or the immediate area.

NDSU has published a new set of fertilizer recommendations, tables and equations that contain many changes and updates.

Recent research has shown that more productive areas of felds require less fertilizer, particularly nitrogen (N), than less productive areas of the feld because they tend to be higher in organic matter, have greater seasonal moisture content, and tend to use existing and applied nutrients more effciently, he says. The exception to this would be saline areas that are commonly high in residual N.