Take a Snapshot with Tissue Sampling

Tissue sampling provides a “snapshot in time of how the plant is doing right now,” said Sam Johnson, Federated ag sales rep from the Albertville location. “It lets you know how the plant is reacting to what you have done previously,” he said. For example, if you applied nitrogen, you can see if the crop is presenting itself correctly from that nutrient.
 
Though tissue sampling isn’t used by all growers, the curious grower, the grower who wants to know why the crop presents as it does, will appreciate what tissue sampling reveals.
 
“Take a tissue sample when you look at your crop and it looks bad and you don’t know why,” said Johnson, adding that “if you are happy with your crop and it’s looking fine,” you can save tissue sampling for another time.
 
What you do with tissue sampling results is something to discuss with your Federated Agronomists. They will stage the crop and consider the location and the growing environment (wet, cool, hot, dry, etc.). A tissue sample will reveal what nutrients are deficient, too. Deciding what to do next is on a “case by case basis,” Johnson said.
 
If “something looks really wrong with your crop,’ Johnson said, talk to your Federated Agronomist about tissue sampling. “It’s a really good tool.”