Growers working with manured soils o? en rely on soil test information when developing nutrient management for their crop,
especially when manure application information is unavailable. Nutrient-enriched soils, like manured soils, can trigger nutrient
de? ciencies and toxicities due to plant–soil nutrient interactions. ? e goal of the study was to determine correlations between
soil test and plant tissue nutrient concentrations for irrigated corn silage crops (Zea mays L. subsp. mays) with varying nutrient
concentrations unique to dairy manure-enriched calcareous soils. Whole plant and soil samples were collected from 39 cooperator
corn silage ? elds at harvest over a 2-yr period throughout the Snake River Plain region of southern Idaho. Soils were sampled to
a depth of 30.5 cm and analyzed for plant available forms of P, K, Ca, Mg, Na, S, Zn, Fe, Mn, Cu, and B; whole plant tops were analyzed for total N, P, K, Ca, Mg, Na, S, Zn, Fe, Mn, and Cu. Signi? cant positive correlations were detected between soil test K and tissue K (Spearman’s rho correlation coe? cient = 0.63), soil test K and tissue N (rho = 0.59), and soil test B and tissue N (rho = 0.53). A significant negative correlation was detected between soil test Fe and tissue Mn (rho = –0.59). Controlled studies are needed to corroborate the relationships observed in this survey study
