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Use and Misuse of the DTPA Soil Test

Dep. of Agronomy and Horticulture, New Mexico State Univ., Box 30003, Las Cruces, NM 88003-0003.

^* Corresponding author.

ABSTRACT

The DTPA soil test was originally developed to identify near-neutral and calcareous soils with insufficient available Zn, Fe, Mn, and Cu for maximum yields of crops. It apparently draws on labile pools it was designed to extract and correlates well with plant micronutrient concentrations when the soil metal levels are neither too high nor too low. The soil test reliably reflects metal loadings to soils supplied in a variety of forms, but may not reliably predict plant metal concentrations expected from increased soil loadings. The successes or failures of the soil test noted in the literature can be explained as correct uses or misuses, respectively, of the test. The soil test is best used to identify micronutrient deficient, near-neutral, and calcareous soils. Whenever one strays from the original design of the test, one should be aware of the possible consequences and pass that awareness on to others.

Journal article 1380 of the New Mexico Agric. Exp. Stn., New Mexico State Univ., Las Cruces, NM 88003-0003.

Received for publication January 27, 1988.

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