International Certified Crop Adviser- Nutrient Management Terms Questions Well Answered
Graded A+
Acid Soil - Answers A soil that has a pH value less than 7.0
Aerobic - Answers A condition identified by the presence of oxygen
Agronomic nutrient rate - Answers Amount of supplemental nutrient required by a crop for a
realistic yield goal (yield potential), after all the soil, water, plant, and air credits are considered.
Agronomic rates consider nutrient credits from all soil tests, legumes, manure residuals, and
any other nutrient source
Alkaline soil - Answers A soil that has a pH value greater than 7.0
Alum - Answers A potassium aluminum sulfate or ammonium aluminum sulfate
Ammonium (NH4+) - Answers A form of nitrogen that is available to plants and is derived from
fertilizer addition and soil organic matter mineralization
Ammonium nitrate solution - Answers Non-pressure solution of ammonium nitrate in water
usually standardized to 20% nitrogen used for direct application or for making multinutrient
liquid fertilizer. Analysis is 20-0-0
Ammonium phosphates - Answers A group of phosphorus fertilizers manufactured by the
reaction of anhydrous ammonia with superphosphoric acid to produce either solid or liquid
fertilizers
Ammonium sulfate - Answers Fertilizer material with an analysis of 21-0-0. Also contains 24%
sulfur
Anaerobic - Answers A condition identified by the absence of oxygen
Anhydrous ammonia (NH3) - Answers Fertilizer in pressurized gas form, made by reacting
nitrogen in air with hydrogen gas (H2) under high temperature and pressure in the presence of a
catalyst. The analysis is 82-0-0
Animal unit - Answers 1,000 pounds of live animal weight; a term used to determine volumes of
animal manure produced
Anion - Answers An ion with a negative charge. Common soil anions are chloride, nitrate, sulfate
and bicarbonate
Anion exchange capacity - Answers The sum total of exchangeable anions that a soil can
adsorb at a specific pH. Expressed as centimoles of charge per kilogram (cmolc/kg) of soil or
milliequivalents per 100 g of soil (meq/100 g of soil)
Application rate - Answers The weight or volume of a fertilizer, soil amendment, or pesticide
, applied per unit area
Aqua ammonia - Answers A 20% N solution made by dissolving anhydrous ammonia in water.
Available nutrient - Answers A nutrient in a form that a plant can absorb.
Banded nutrients - Answers Placing solid granular or liquid fertilizer in a band on the soil surface
or ejected below the soil surface before, at, or after planting
Base saturation percentage - Answers The proportion of the soil's cation exchange capacity
occupied by basic cations (sodium, potassium, magnesium and calcium).
Bioremediation - Answers The use of biological agents to remove substances hazardous to
human health or the environment from contaminated soil or water
Biosolid - Answers Any organic material, such as livestock manure, compost, sewage sludge, or
yard wastes applied to the soil to add nutrients or for soil improvement
Buildup and maintenance - Answers Nutrients applied in order to build up a target soil test level
and then maintained by annual addition of the quantity of nutrients expected to be removed in
the harvested portion of the crop.
Buffer pH - Answers A soil test procedure whereby the pH of the soil is measured in buffer
solution. This measurement is used to determine the exchangeable acidity of the soil and
estimate the lime requirement of the soil.
Calcitic lime - Answers Limestone consisting of CaCO3 based material with very low
magnesium content
Calcium carbonate equivalent (CCE) - Answers The liming potential of a material as compared
to CaCO3.
Cation - Answers An ion that has a positive electrical charge. Common soil cations are calcium,
magnesium, hydrogen, sodium, and potassium
Cation exchange capacity (CEC) - Answers The sum total of exchangeable cations that a soil
can adsorb at a specific pH. Expressed as centimoles of charge per kilogram (cmolc/kg) of soil
or milliequivalents per 100 g of soil (meq/100 g of soil)
Cation exchange sites - Answers Negative charged sites on the surfaces of clays and organic
matter
Chelate molecule - Answers A large, water soluble organic molecule that binds with a free metal
ion to form a water soluble compound. This process increases the amount of metal ion or atom
dissolved in the water and can modify the availability of that ion/atom to plants.
Critical value - Answers The nutrient tissue or soil concentration falling just between deficiency
Graded A+
Acid Soil - Answers A soil that has a pH value less than 7.0
Aerobic - Answers A condition identified by the presence of oxygen
Agronomic nutrient rate - Answers Amount of supplemental nutrient required by a crop for a
realistic yield goal (yield potential), after all the soil, water, plant, and air credits are considered.
Agronomic rates consider nutrient credits from all soil tests, legumes, manure residuals, and
any other nutrient source
Alkaline soil - Answers A soil that has a pH value greater than 7.0
Alum - Answers A potassium aluminum sulfate or ammonium aluminum sulfate
Ammonium (NH4+) - Answers A form of nitrogen that is available to plants and is derived from
fertilizer addition and soil organic matter mineralization
Ammonium nitrate solution - Answers Non-pressure solution of ammonium nitrate in water
usually standardized to 20% nitrogen used for direct application or for making multinutrient
liquid fertilizer. Analysis is 20-0-0
Ammonium phosphates - Answers A group of phosphorus fertilizers manufactured by the
reaction of anhydrous ammonia with superphosphoric acid to produce either solid or liquid
fertilizers
Ammonium sulfate - Answers Fertilizer material with an analysis of 21-0-0. Also contains 24%
sulfur
Anaerobic - Answers A condition identified by the absence of oxygen
Anhydrous ammonia (NH3) - Answers Fertilizer in pressurized gas form, made by reacting
nitrogen in air with hydrogen gas (H2) under high temperature and pressure in the presence of a
catalyst. The analysis is 82-0-0
Animal unit - Answers 1,000 pounds of live animal weight; a term used to determine volumes of
animal manure produced
Anion - Answers An ion with a negative charge. Common soil anions are chloride, nitrate, sulfate
and bicarbonate
Anion exchange capacity - Answers The sum total of exchangeable anions that a soil can
adsorb at a specific pH. Expressed as centimoles of charge per kilogram (cmolc/kg) of soil or
milliequivalents per 100 g of soil (meq/100 g of soil)
Application rate - Answers The weight or volume of a fertilizer, soil amendment, or pesticide
, applied per unit area
Aqua ammonia - Answers A 20% N solution made by dissolving anhydrous ammonia in water.
Available nutrient - Answers A nutrient in a form that a plant can absorb.
Banded nutrients - Answers Placing solid granular or liquid fertilizer in a band on the soil surface
or ejected below the soil surface before, at, or after planting
Base saturation percentage - Answers The proportion of the soil's cation exchange capacity
occupied by basic cations (sodium, potassium, magnesium and calcium).
Bioremediation - Answers The use of biological agents to remove substances hazardous to
human health or the environment from contaminated soil or water
Biosolid - Answers Any organic material, such as livestock manure, compost, sewage sludge, or
yard wastes applied to the soil to add nutrients or for soil improvement
Buildup and maintenance - Answers Nutrients applied in order to build up a target soil test level
and then maintained by annual addition of the quantity of nutrients expected to be removed in
the harvested portion of the crop.
Buffer pH - Answers A soil test procedure whereby the pH of the soil is measured in buffer
solution. This measurement is used to determine the exchangeable acidity of the soil and
estimate the lime requirement of the soil.
Calcitic lime - Answers Limestone consisting of CaCO3 based material with very low
magnesium content
Calcium carbonate equivalent (CCE) - Answers The liming potential of a material as compared
to CaCO3.
Cation - Answers An ion that has a positive electrical charge. Common soil cations are calcium,
magnesium, hydrogen, sodium, and potassium
Cation exchange capacity (CEC) - Answers The sum total of exchangeable cations that a soil
can adsorb at a specific pH. Expressed as centimoles of charge per kilogram (cmolc/kg) of soil
or milliequivalents per 100 g of soil (meq/100 g of soil)
Cation exchange sites - Answers Negative charged sites on the surfaces of clays and organic
matter
Chelate molecule - Answers A large, water soluble organic molecule that binds with a free metal
ion to form a water soluble compound. This process increases the amount of metal ion or atom
dissolved in the water and can modify the availability of that ion/atom to plants.
Critical value - Answers The nutrient tissue or soil concentration falling just between deficiency
