Forgotten science: How 1900s studies challenge the current research on sap analysis
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25165/ijabe.v18i5.9879Keywords:
crop nutritional assessment, fertilizer management, on-farm quick tests, plant nutrition, sufficiency valuesAbstract
Plant sap analysis has emerged as a key focus in recent agricultural research, aiming to enhance fertilizer management and improve crop nutritional assessment. Despite its current recognition as an innovative technique, the origins of sap testing date back over 120 years, with early studies largely overlooked by contemporary researchers. This work revisits these foundational studies, exploring their findings and revealing their potential to challenge modern techniques. This study discusses historical methods of sap collection and how variations in pressure and extraction techniques can influence its nutrient composition. This retrospective examination suggests that integrating these early insights can significantly enhance current sap testing methods. Keywords: crop nutritional assessment, fertilizer management, on-farm quick tests, plant nutrition, sufficiency values DOI: 10.25165/j.ijabe.20251805.9879 Citation: Santa-Cruz J, Calbucheo D, Valdebenito S, Vásquez V, Aguilar M, Peñaloza P, et al. Forgotten science: How 1900s studies challenge the current research on sap analysis. Int J Agric & Biol Eng, 2025; 18(5): 317–318.References
Benavides-Mendoza A, Alba-Romenus K, Francisco-Francisco N. Relation between soil solution composition and petiole cellular extract of crops in western Mexico. Terra Latinoamericana, 2021; 39: 1–13.
Esteves E, Locatelli G, Alcon-Bou N, Soranz-Ferrarezi R. Sap analysis: a powerful tool for monitoring plant nutrition. Horticulturae, 2021; 7（11）: 426.
Peña-Fleitas M T, Gallardo M, Padilla F M, Rodríguez A, Thompson R B. Use of a portable rapid analysis system to measure nitrate concentration of nutrient and soil solution, and plant sap in greenhouse vegetable production. Agronomy, 2021; 11（5）: 819.
Hochmuth G, Hochmuth R. Plant petiole sap testing for vegetable crops. CIR1144. University of Florida, UF/IFAS Extension, 2022. doi: 10.32473/edis-cv004-2022
Scaife M A. The snappy sap test: how to monitor crop nitrogen on the farm. Big Farm Management, 1979; pp.17–20.
Heald F D. The electrical conductivity of plant juices. Botanical Gazette, 1902; 34（2）: 81–92.
André M G. Sur la composition des liquides qui circulent dans le végétal; variations de l’azote dans les feuilles. Comptes Rendus Hebdomadaires des Séances de l’Académie des Sciences, 1906; 142（1）: 106–108.
Gilbert B E. The adaptation of certain colorimetric methods to the estimation of nitrates, phosphates and potassium in plant solutions. Plant Physiology, 1926; 1（2）: 191–199.
Gilbert B E, Hardin L J. The current mineral nutrient content of the plant solution as a possible means of chemical control of optimum fertilization. Journal of Agricultural Research, 1927; 35（2）: 185–192.
McCool M M, Weldon M D. The effect of soil type and fertilization on the composition of the expressed sap of plants. Journal of the American Society of Agronomy, 1928; 20（8）: 778–792.
Carolus R L. Chemical estimations of the weekly nutrient level of a potato crop. American Potato Journal, 1937; 14（5）: 141–153.
Santa-Cruz J, Calbucheo D, Valdebenito S, Cáceres C, Castillo P, Aguilar M, et al. Crushed, squeezed, or pressed? How extraction methods influence sap analysis. Agronomy, 2025; Under review. doi: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6969389/v2
Heald F D. A convenient press for obtaining small amounts of plant juice. Journal of Applied Microscopy and Laboratory Methods, 1902; 5: 1679–1680.
Marie M M C, Gatin C L. Déterminations cryoscopiques effectuées sur des sucs végétaux. Comparaison d’espèces de montagne avec les mêmes espèces plaine. Compte Rendu de la Association Française pour l’Avancement des Sciences, 1911; 40: 492–494.
Dixon H H, Atkins W R G. Osmotic pressures in plants. I. Methods of extracting sap from plant organs. The Scientific Proceedings of the Royal Dublin Society, 1913; 13: 422–433.
Gortner R A, Lawrence J V, Harris J A. The extraction of sap from plant tissues by pressure. Biochemical Bulletin, 1916; 5: 139–142.
Sayre J D, Morris V H. Use of expressed sap in determining the composition of corn tissue. Plant Physiology, 1932; 7（2）: 261–272.
Gerdel R W. Determination of the inorganic nitrogen in the corn plant by the expressed sap method. Plant Physiology, 1932; 7（3）: 517–526.
Broyer T C, Hoagland D R. Methods of sap expression from plant tissues with special reference to studies on salt accumulation by excised barley roots. American Journal of Botany, 1940; 27（7）: 501–511.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
IJABE is an international peer reviewed open access journal, adopting Creative Commons Copyright Notices as follows.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
