Most of the commercial and state soil testing laboratories in and around Tennessee use and prescribe fertilizer recommendations based on Mehlich 3 soil test extraction method. Most growers may receive soil test results from laboratories that utilizes Mehlich 3 soil test extraction method. However, The University of Tennessee gives fertilizer recommendations based on the Mehlich 1 extractant. This makes it difficult for growers to take advantage of The University of Tennessee fertilizer recommendations. Currently, the Mehlich 1 and 3 conversion equations used in TN were derived from the University of Kentucky, which were based on Kentucky soils (Table 1). Continue reading
