New technologies are breaking ground all around us in the agriculture community. And that is what first attracted Dan Davidson to Crop Health Labs (CHL) Plant Sap Analysis. Dan is an agronomist, farmer and now consultant for CHL. Plant Sap Analysis is basically a blood test for plants that detects nutrient deficiencies three to four weeks sooner than traditional tissue sampling and CHL has the U.S. license for this technology.
“I heard about the technology in 2014. I wanted to try it out so I submitted some samples at two different times and compared it to the more traditional tissue testing. I found that with the sap analysis said my nutrient levels were more deficient and the tissue testing was always sufficient. That made me concerned.”
Dan said the benefits of the technology is the early detection. They also look at a number of other components in the sap that help determine how healthy the plant actually is related to it’s yield and productivity.
“I organized a project with the University of Illinois to look at both corn and soybeans fertilized and unfertilized. We are taking samples during the season to see how well sap analysis is picking up and reflecting what the plant is doing.”
Learn more about the research Dan is conducting with CHL and the University of Illinois in my complete interview: [wpaudio url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/zimmcomm/fps-15-chl-davidson.mp3″ text=”Interview with Dan Davidson, grower and CHL Consultant”]
2015 Farm Progress Show Photo Album
