Latest Soil test Stories
By Robert H. Schuler Q: I live in Pomona and have a 10-year-old navel orange tree that produces fruit that is inconsistent in sweetness. The fruit is good every year, but some years (three years ago, for example) the fruit was outstanding in sweetness. I follow the directions for fertilizing and sprinkle some citrus pellets and try and deep water every month. Can you explain why the sweetness varies from year to year and can you suggest anything to ensure consistent sweetness? - Don...
Environmental officials have warned that dangerous levels of lead may exist in urban gardens throughout the United States. Boston University School of Public Health professor Wendy Heiger-Bernays said gardens in most U.S. cities likely contain unsafe levels of the metallic element, but associated risks could be contained through careful gardening, The Boston Globe said Monday. "If I had a garden in the urban environment I would just assume there is lead in the soil," the associate professor...
Homeland Security Network (Pink Sheets:HSYN), doing business as Global Ecology Corporation (GEC), announced today that it has taken sludge samples from its first four potential water and soil remediation projects in the U.S. and will submit proposals to the appropriate regulatory authorities as soon as the samples are quantified. The company believes the proposals will meet the needs and requirements and should result in projects starting in the next 45 days. The projects, two in Florida...
To: TECHNOLOGY EDITORS Contact: Dwayne Brown, Headquarters, Washington, +1-202-358- 1726, dwayne.c.brown@nasa.gov, or Guy Webster, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., +1-818-354-6278, guy.webster@jpl.nasa.gov, both of NASA; or Sara Hammond of University of Arizona, Tucson, +1-520-626-1974, shammond@lpl.arizona.edu WASHINGTON, Aug. 4 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Scientists are analyzing results from soil samples delivered several weeks ago to science instruments on NASA's Phoenix...
PASADENA, Calif. -- Scientists are analyzing results from soil samples delivered several weeks ago to science instruments on NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander to understand the landing site's soil chemistry and mineralogy. Within the last month, two samples have been analyzed by the Wet Chemistry Lab of the spacecraft's Microscopy, Electrochemistry, and Conductivity Analyzer, or MECA, suggesting one of the soil constituents may be perchlorate, a highly oxidizing substance. The Phoenix team has been...
SHREVEPORT, La., July 24, 2008 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- International Star, Inc. (I-Star) (OTCBB:ILST) today announced the initial results from the mineral exploration activities in progress on I-Star's Detrital Wash claim block in Mohave County, AZ. Results from 252 assays recently performed by Mountain States R&D International, Inc., an Arizona registered and licensed lab, on samples taken from I-Star's Detrital Wash claims support historical records obtained by I-Star of significant copper...
By Brinton, William F Evans, Eric; Blewett, Craig Boron (B) is a trace element essential to crop growth in small soil concentrations (0.2-1.5ppm), yet may produce plant toxicity symptoms readily as the amount in the soil solution increases over 2ppm. Boron is present in significant amounts in recycled materials such as municipal solid waste (MSW) and coal fly ash, and therefore composts containing these ingredients may potentially exceed agronomic B levels, especially when used at heavy...
By BASHAM, Laura When Nelson soil consultant Robert Luff brews his tea, he uses a 2000-litre silo. It is no ordinary cuppa that he makes. The compost tea will be sprayed on farmland to improve soils and growth. His firm is working on restoring the biological balance to the soil on more than 200 properties, 60 of them in the Nelson region. They include sheep and beef farms, dairy, vineyards, hop and berry farms and tree nurseries. The business has grown over six years as farmers look...
Zinccorp Resources Inc. (TSX-V: ZN) is pleased to announce a very promising discovery at its wholly owned Michelle property, located 25 km east of the Dempster Highway in central Yukon. The highlight result from this discovery is a drill interval that averaged more than 40% combined lead-zinc with 510.7 g/t (14.9 ounces/ton) silver over a 7.94 m (26 ft) true thickness. The discovery was made by diamond drilling done in 2007, results of which were just received. It consists of fracture- and...
By Michael Mills, The Philadelphia Inquirer Jul. 4--Question: What you would suggest to keep the weeds/grass out of my asparagus bed? We have had the bed for a few years and would prefer something other than constant weeding. - Helen File Answer: What's the main difference between asparagus and such crops as spinach, green beans, okra, corn and watermelons? Asparagus is a perennial, and the others are annuals. Those with ornamental gardens may be thinking, "Yeah, so what's the point?" For...
