What Is the SAP Analysis Engine?

Understanding what the tool does and why it matters.

The Succession Soils SAP Analysis Engine is a web-based diagnostic tool that reads raw nutrient values from laboratory sap analysis reports, compares them against crop-specific norms, identifies deficiencies, excesses, and antagonisms, and produces a ready-to-execute spray programme.

The engine is built around one governing principle: biology and physics always override chemistry. A perfect nutrient balance on paper means nothing if the roots cannot physically reach the soil reserves, or if the soil biology that makes nutrients available is compromised. A 15-indicator physical and biological soil assessment sits alongside the sap analysis, and the system checks for these bottlenecks first — adjusting or suppressing its chemical recommendations when they would be ineffective.

Core Capabilities

Triangulation across three data sources

Upload sap, soil, and leaf tissue PDFs together and the engine cross-verifies each nutrient across all three. Diagnoses confirmed in two or three sources are flagged as Verified; those appearing in only one source are flagged as Sap Only and treated with more caution.

15-indicator physical and biological field assessment

A dedicated soil health assessment — covering bare earth, infiltration, slake test, earthworm diversity, rooting depth, soil smell, and more — produces a 0–100 field score. This score governs whether soil-applied corrections will actually work, and can override or suppress chemical recommendations when the soil is physically incapable of delivering them.

Phenological stage adjustments

Nutrient demand changes as the plant moves through its growth cycle. A Potassium reading that is optimal during vegetative growth may be dangerously low at fruit fill. The engine adjusts norms for each stage.

Antagonism and transport analysis

Many deficiencies are not caused by nutrients being absent — they are caused by other nutrients blocking uptake, or by root problems preventing transport. The engine identifies these mechanisms and recommends whether to fix the soil, apply a foliar bypass, or investigate the roots.

A ready-to-execute spray programme

The report ends with a day-by-day schedule showing which tank to apply on which day, at what rate. You can scale this to your actual tank size and total area, choose between individual products or a single blended prescription, and toggle between raw salt-based inputs and pre-chelated products.

The Two Apps

Analysis Tool — sap.successionsoils.co.za/

Upload PDFs, complete the field assessment, enter data, and generate a new report. After generating, you can email the report, sync it to the cloud, export a field worksheet, and print it.

Reports Viewer — sap.successionsoils.co.za/report.html

The archive. Every report you have synced to the cloud appears here in a searchable list. Re-open any past report, print it, or send a public sharing link — without re-generating anything.


Getting Started

Logging in, resetting your password, and managing team access.

Signing In

Both the Analysis Tool and the Reports Viewer require you to sign in with your email address and password. Your session is stored in the browser tab — if you close the tab or click Sign Out, you will need to sign in again. Sessions expire after 7 days.

https://sap.successionsoils.co.za/
SAP Analysis Engine
Sign in to continue
Email
you@example.com
Password
••••••••••••
Sign In
Account creation User accounts are created by your Succession Soils administrator using the Team panel. If you cannot sign in, contact your administrator or use the Forgot Password link described below.

2.1 Forgot Your Password?

The sign-in form includes a self-service password reset. No need to contact anyone.

1

Click "Forgot Password?"

Below the Sign In button, click Forgot Password?. The form switches to show a single email field.

2

Enter your registered email

Type the email address associated with your account and click Send Reset Link. The system always shows a success message — even if the email is not found — to prevent anyone from discovering which addresses are registered.

3

Open the email

An email from info@successionsoils.co.za will arrive with a Reset Password button. Click it. If the button does not work, copy the full URL from the email and paste it into your browser.

4

Set your new password

Enter your new password (minimum 8 characters), confirm it, and click Set New Password. You are returned to the sign-in page automatically.

Reset links expire after 2 hours If the link is not used within 2 hours, it stops working. Request a new one from the sign-in page — each new request cancels any earlier unused link.

2.2 Managing Your Team (Admin only)

The system supports multiple users sharing the same account. The admin user can add and remove team members from within the Analysis Tool. Members log in with individual email addresses and passwords.

Opening the Team Panel

After signing in, click the Team link in the top-right header. If you are a member (not an admin), the panel opens but the Add Member form is hidden.

Roles

Admin ADMIN

Can run analyses, sync reports, and manage the team (add and remove members). The first registered user is automatically Admin.

Member MEMBER

Can run analyses and sync reports. Cannot add or remove other users.

Adding a New Team Member

FieldNotes
Full NameDisplay name shown in the header when signed in.Required
EmailLogin email. Must be unique — no two accounts can share an email.Required
PasswordTemporary password (minimum 8 characters). Tell the person directly; they can use Forgot Password to set their own.Required
RoleMember (default) or Admin.

Removing a Team Member

Each member has a red Remove button. Click it and confirm the prompt. Removal is immediate — the user can no longer sign in. You cannot remove your own account.

No email notifications are sent The system does not notify people when they are added or removed. Tell new members their credentials directly.

The Analysis Workflow

A step-by-step walkthrough from login to generated report.

The Analysis Tool takes you through several steps before generating the report:

0A
Upload PDFs
0
Configuration
FA
Field Assessment
1
Nutrient Data
Report

3.1 Step 0A — Upload Lab PDFs

The first screen shows three upload zones side by side:

🌱
Sap PDF
Soil2Sap / Agresol
Required
🌎
Soil PDF
SASRI / Cedara / NviroTec / Brookside
Optional
🍃
Tissue PDF
SARAI FAS Leaf Summary
Optional

Click or drag to upload your sap analysis PDF. The engine immediately extracts farm name, crop, phenological stage, sample date, sample ID, and nutrient values. A green status message confirms what was extracted.

Next to the Soil PDF zone, a Lab source dropdown lets you choose: Auto-detect, SASRI (Ambic-1), Cedara (Ambic-1), NviroTec (Mehlich-3), or Brookside (Mehlich-3). Leave it on Auto-detect unless the engine misreads your format — Ambic-1 and Mehlich-3 extraction methods produce different Phosphorus readings for the same soil.

No PDF? Enter values manually Click skip upload and enter values manually at the bottom of the upload card. This takes you straight to Configuration where you fill everything in by hand.

3.2 Step 0 — Configuration

The Configuration card sets the farming context, spray-day logistics, and protocol style.

Programme Settings

FieldOptions / Notes
Farming Method Regenerative or Organic. Organic restricts to certified inputs only; Regenerative prioritises biological and certified inputs but allows a wider range. Required
Spray Interval 7-day (Intensive — acute deficiency), 14-day (Standard commercial), or 28-day (Maintenance). If the Field Assessment score is Critical, the engine forces 7-day regardless of this setting. Required
Water Rate (L/ha) Litres of spray water per hectare. Range 50–5,000, default 500. Used to calculate product concentrations. Required
Salt Ceiling (mS/cm) The maximum EC (salt concentration) permitted per tank load. Range 0.5–4.0. The default adjusts by crop category — tree crops default to 3.0, horticultural crops to 2.0, and blueberries to 1.0. The engine splits products across multiple passes if a tank would exceed this ceiling.
Spray Conditions Auto (derives from VPD / field assessment data), Dry / Heat stress, Normal, or Irrigated / Cool. Dry/Heat stress constrains the effective salt ceiling to prevent leaf burn under heat stress.
Spray Tank Volume (L) Your physical tank capacity (e.g. 2,000 L). When entered, the report and Field Sheet show exact product quantities per tank load.
Area (ha) Total area to spray. When entered, the report and Field Sheet show total quantities for the whole job.
Protocol Mode Standard (Individual Products) — each product listed separately. Prescription (Blended) — all dry products within a tank combined into a single pre-mixed blend recipe.
Input Source Salt-Based (Monohydrate + Fulvic Acid) — raw technical-grade sulphate salts, requires the Mandatory Mixing Sequence (Section 7). Chelated (AgriTechnovation Phloem) — pre-chelated products, no special mixing required.

Standard / Salt-Based

Lowest cost per gram of nutrient. Requires careful on-farm mixing (Section 7) to avoid precipitation. Best suited to operators comfortable with tank-mixing protocols.

Prescription / Chelated

Higher cost per gram, but removes mixing risk and reduces the number of products to measure on spray day. Best suited to time-constrained spray teams.

3.3 Crop & Sample Information

Crop Selection

The Crop dropdown is organised into categories (see Section 11 for the full list). Select the closest match, or choose Other (Custom Norms) and use Manage Norms & Products to upload your own sufficiency ranges (Section 10).

Macadamia / Protea caution These Proteaceae-family crops are highly sensitive to Phosphorus. The engine automatically flags excess P and its downstream effects on Fe, Mn, and Zn uptake. Select the correct crop so this protection is active.

Phenological Stage

The Phenological Stage dropdown populates dynamically based on your selected crop. Each crop has its own set of stages — for example, Macadamias offer Vegetative, Flowering, Nut Set, Oil Accumulation, Pre-Harvest, and Post-Harvest; Citrus crops offer Vegetative, Flowering, Fruit Set, Fruit Bulking, Colour Break, and Post-Harvest. Selecting the correct stage adjusts nutrient demand norms.

Sample Fields

FieldNotes
Farm / Client NameUsed on the report header and in the cloud archive.
Field / BlockThe specific field, block, or compartment sampled.
Variety / CultivarThe specific cultivar (e.g. "Hass", "Beaumont").
Sample DateDate the sap was sampled in the field.
Report DateDate this report is being generated — useful when there is a lag between sampling and lab turnaround.
Sample IDLaboratory sample reference number. Auto-filled from the PDF if detected.
Sampled ByName of the person who collected the sample.
Lab Report FormatRead-only. Shows which format the engine detected from your PDF (e.g. "Soil2Sap" or "Agresol Differential").

3.4 Field Conditions at Sampling

Three fields give the engine environmental context at the time of sap sampling. These are distinct from the 15-Indicator Field Assessment (Section 4) — this is quick context about weather and moisture on the sampling day.

FieldNotes
Temperature (°C)Air temperature at sampling. Range -10 to 55. High temperatures cause nutrient concentration through transpiration.
Humidity (%)Relative humidity. Affects transpiration rate and sap concentration.
Soil MoistureSaturated (80–100% FC — anaerobic organisms dominate), Moist (60–80% FC — peak microbial activity), Dry (<40% FC — bacterial activity declines), or Very Dry (<20% FC — most microbial processes slow dramatically).

3.5 Nutrient Data Table

The SAP Data table is the core input — the raw numbers from the laboratory report. It has two value columns:

  • Young Leaf (YL) — the newest expanding leaf. Reflects what the plant currently has available. Responds quickly to both deficiencies and corrections.
  • Old Leaf (OL) — the oldest functional leaf. Reflects what the plant stored during earlier growth. Changes slowly.
NutrientYoung Leaf (YL)Old Leaf (OL)Unit
NO₃-N1420890ppm
K38502100ppm
Cappm

Green-tinted cells were auto-extracted from the uploaded PDF. Dashes mean the value was not found — enter it manually if you have it.

You can edit any auto-filled value Click directly on any number in the table to change it. The green background does not lock the field.

3.6 Generating the Report

Once you have reviewed the Configuration, the Field Assessment, and the nutrient data, click Run Full Analysis. The report is generated instantly in your browser — no server round-trip required. It opens with a Composite Score hero card, followed by any bottleneck warnings, then the full set of collapsible report sections.

Changing settings after generating To adjust Configuration fields (Water Rate, Tank Volume, Area, Protocol Mode, etc.) and re-run the analysis, scroll back up to the Configuration card, make your changes, and click Run Full Analysis again.

The 15-Indicator Field Assessment

A physical and biological soil health scoring system that governs — and can override — the chemical recommendations.

Sap chemistry tells you what nutrients are currently in the plant, but it cannot tell you whether the soil is physically capable of delivering more, or whether the soil biology that makes nutrients plant-available is functioning. The Field Assessment closes that gap.

Governing principle: biology and physics always override chemistry A soil or sap result showing "adequate" Calcium means nothing if compaction has restricted rooting depth to 15 cm and the roots cannot physically reach it. The Field Assessment score is the deterministic governor of the entire report. A perfect chemical result does not override a Critical field score.

Getting Your Score: Upload or Manual Entry

📄

Upload Soil Health Report

If you already have a Succession Soils Soil Health Report (HTML or PDF), click Upload Soil Health Report and select the file. The engine extracts all 15 indicators automatically. It compares the farm and contact details against your current sap analysis and warns you — but does not block you — if they don't match.

Manual Entry

Click Manual Entry to open a form covering all four tiers. Every field is optional except where a gateway check applies (Section 4.5). A live score preview updates inside the modal as you fill in values.

Once satisfied, click Save Assessment to attach the assessment to this analysis. Assessments are saved to the cloud per analysis and can be reloaded later.

Sampling Conditions

Before the four scored tiers, the form captures three context fields: Sample Date, Days Since Last Irrigation / Rainfall, and Sampling Location (Midrow, Under Canopy, or Drip Line). These do not carry points but inform interpretation.

4.1 Tier 1 — Physical Gateways

Two fundamental checks — can water and roots get into the soil. Both are GIP gateway checks (Section 4.5); failing either one forces the entire field score to zero.

Bare Earth (%)

% of soil surface exposed — GIP gateway: >20% triggers a zero score

Estimate the percentage of soil surface with no living plant cover, litter, or mulch. Exposed soil loses biology to UV radiation and sheds water instead of absorbing it.

Infiltration Time — 2nd Inch (seconds)

Seconds for the second inch of water to infiltrate — GIP gateway: >300 seconds triggers a zero score

A standard infiltration ring test. Time how long the second inch of water takes to soak in (the first inch is excluded because surface tension distorts the reading). Slow infiltration means compaction or structural collapse is preventing water and dissolved nutrients from reaching roots.

4.2 Tier 2 — Soil Structure & Macro-Biology

Five indicators assessing whether the soil has the physical structure and visible biology needed to function as a living system.

Slake Test Score

Up to 15 points

Drop a dry soil clod into water and observe how it holds together. Well-aggregated soil resists collapse because biological glues (fungal hyphae, root exudates, microbial polysaccharides) bind particles together.

5 — No collapse15 pts
4 — Good stability12 pts
3 — Moderate stability8 pts
2 — Partial collapse4 pts
1 — Immediate collapse0 pts

Earthworm Diversity

Up to 10 points
High — Diverse, abundant population10 pts
Moderate — Several species present7 pts
Low — Few, single species3 pts
Zero — No earthworms found0 pts

Rooting Depth (cm)

Up to 5 points — also used in the Compaction Bottleneck check
≥ 40 cm5 pts
25–39 cm3 pts
15–24 cm1 pt
< 15 cm0 pts

Rhizosheath Present?

15 points if Yes

A rhizosheath is the layer of soil that clings to roots when pulled from the ground, bound by root hairs and microbial mucilage. Its presence indicates active root-microbe symbiosis — worth 15 of the 100 available points.

Insect Diversity Score (0–10)

Up to 5 points
8–10 distinct groups5 pts
5–7 distinct groups3 pts
2–4 distinct groups1 pt

Count distinct categories of insects (ants, beetles, springtails, spiders) — not total individuals.

4.3 Tier 3 — Root Zone Quality

Two indicators checking the immediate root zone environment.

Soil Smell

Up to 5 points — also a key Bottleneck Scenario trigger
Aerobic — Fresh, earthy, pleasant5 pts
Neutral — No distinct smell3 pts
Anaerobic — Sour, sulphurous, rotten0 pts

Soil smell is used instead of soil colour to detect waterlogging, because red KZN soils make visual colour judgement unreliable. An Anaerobic reading combined with poor infiltration triggers the Anaerobic Pathway bottleneck (Section 4.6).

Nodulation Status

Up to 5 points — only relevant where legumes are present
Active — Pink/red nodules, actively fixing N5 pts
Partial — Some nodulation, reduced activity3 pts
Low — Few nodules, minimal fixation1 pt
Failed — No functional nodulation0 pts
Not Assessed0 pts (excluded)

4.4 Tier 4 — Consultant Metrics (Optional)

Six fields requiring lab or instrument-based testing. Entirely optional — the assessment functions without them, just with a lower maximum achievable score.

Soil pH

Not scored — GIP gateway: <5.0 or >8.5 triggers a zero score

Extreme pH locks out most nutrients regardless of soil reserves.

Salinity / EC (dS/m)

Not scored — GIP gateway: >2.0 dS/m triggers a zero score

High salinity creates osmotic stress preventing water and nutrient uptake.

Compaction (psi)

Not scored — GIP gateway: >300 psi triggers a zero score

Penetrometer reading. Also used directly in the Compaction Bottleneck scenario (Section 4.6).

Microbial Biomass (mg C/kg)

Up to 10 points
≥ 400 mg C/kg10 pts
250–399 mg C/kg7 pts
100–249 mg C/kg4 pts
< 100 mg C/kg1 pt

Brix (°Bx)

Up to 10 points — foliar dissolved solids, measured with a refractometer
≥ 12 °Bx10 pts
8–11.9 °Bx7 pts
5–7.9 °Bx4 pts
< 5 °Bx1 pt

Fungal:Bacterial Ratio

Up to 20 points — the single largest point contributor in the entire assessment
F:B ≥ 3.020 pts
F:B 2.0–2.9915 pts
F:B 1.0–1.9910 pts
F:B 0.5–0.995 pts
F:B < 0.50 pts

Also used in the Biological Desert bottleneck scenario (Section 4.6).

4.5 Scoring & the GIP Gateway

The total possible score is 100 points. The score is calculated from whatever indicators you have entered — a partial assessment still produces a valid score.

Point Allocation Summary

IndicatorMax Points
Fungal:Bacterial Ratio20
Rhizosheath Present15
Slake Test Score15
Microbial Biomass10
Brix10
Earthworm Diversity10
Nodulation Status5
Soil Smell5
Rooting Depth5
Insect Diversity5

Bare Earth and Infiltration Time do not contribute points — they act only as GIP gateways (below). Soil pH, Salinity, and Compaction likewise act only as gateways.

The GIP Gateway

GIP — Gateway Indicator Protocol

Five specific thresholds act as hard gateways. If any one is triggered, the entire field score is forced to zero — regardless of how well every other indicator scored.

Bare Earth> 20%
Infiltration Time (2nd inch)> 300 seconds
Soil pH< 5.0 or > 8.5
Salinity / EC> 2.0 dS/m
Compaction> 300 psi

Score Bands

BandScore RangeMeaning
Critical0–39A fundamental physical or biological bottleneck exists. Spray interval forced to 7-day foliar-only; soil-applied inputs suspended.
Building40–69Soil function is improving but not yet reliable. Chemical recommendations proceed largely as normal.
Optimal70–100Soil is functioning well physically and biologically. Chemical recommendations apply without restriction.
No assessment saved? If you skip the Field Assessment entirely, the report still generates — it falls back to sap chemistry alone for the Composite Score and no bottleneck scenarios are evaluated.

4.6 Bottleneck Scenarios

Beyond the overall score, three specific combinations of field indicators trigger automatic suppression or redirection of chemical recommendations. These appear as a red-bordered Soil & Root Bottlenecks Detected card near the top of the generated report.

Scenario A — Compaction Bottleneck

Trigger: Sap Ca or P deficient + soil Ca or P adequate + (rooting depth < 20 cm OR compaction > 300 psi)

The sap shows a deficiency that the soil says should not exist — a physical access problem. The engine blocks soil-applied immobile nutrient corrections, forces 7-day foliar interval, and mandates mechanical intervention: subsoiling and aggressive tap-rooted cover crops to break the compaction layer.

Scenario B — Anaerobic Pathway

Trigger: Soil smell = Anaerobic + infiltration time > 300 seconds

Sour, waterlogged soil. Applied nitrogen denitrifies before the plant can use it, and biological carbon inputs (Fish Hydrolysate, microbial inoculants) breed root-rot pathogens. Both are suppressed — only foliar chelated inputs recommended. The Mandatory Mixing Sequence (Section 7) automatically withholds Fish Hydrolysate.

Scenario C — Biological Desert

Trigger: Bare earth > 20% + Fungal:Bacterial ratio < 1.0 (or F:B not assessed)

Bare soil exposed to UV sterilises fungal spores before they establish. Soil-applied mycorrhizal inoculants are suppressed. The recommendation is to apply mulch or a cover crop first, while continuing Fish Hydrolysate and Fulvic Acid as foliar applications alongside the MICRO tank for immediate crop nutrition.

Critical Score Override Whenever the overall Field Assessment score is 39 or below, the spray interval is forced to 7-day intensive and all soil-applied inputs are suspended — this applies regardless of which specific scenario triggers it.

Reading the Report

Understanding the generated report — its structure, colours, scores, and sections.

The generated report is organised into collapsible accordion sections. Read the Composite Score and any Bottleneck cards first, then expand the sections relevant to your situation.

5.1 The Colour System

Every element in the report follows the same four-colour system:

Red — Act now. Critically deficient, severely excessive, or a confirmed antagonism/bottleneck is actively blocking uptake.
Amber — Monitor closely. Below or above the optimal range but not yet critical.
Green — Optimal. Within the target range. No corrective action needed.
Grey — No data. Value not available. No diagnosis possible.

Urgency Strips

URGENT — Action required before next spray.
WATCH — Below optimal. Monitor and correct within this spray cycle.
GOOD — Crop nutrition is within acceptable range.

Status Labels

CRITICAL EXCESS SEVERE LOW DEFICIENCY ELEVATED OPTIMUM ADEQUATE N/A

Priority Levels

Priority 3 — Urgent Priority 2 — Watch Priority 1 — Low Priority 0 — Optimal / No action

Certification Tags

Product Name ECO — Ecocert approved, for certified organic farming
Product Name BIO — Bioavailable tag, recommended for regenerative systems
Product Name NONE — No special certification recorded

5.2 Composite Score & Executive Summary

The report opens with a single Composite Score — a 0–100 number blending field assessment and sap chemistry into one headline figure.

58
Building
2 Urgent 3 Watch 6 Good

How the Composite Score Is Calculated

ScenarioFormula
No Field Assessment savedComposite Score = SAP Score alone
Field Assessment savedComposite Score = (Field Score × 40%) + (SAP Score × 60%)

A triangulation confidence bonus is added: +3 points if a soil PDF was uploaded, +3 points if a leaf tissue PDF was uploaded (maximum +6). The final score is capped at 100.

The Composite Score uses three bands: 0–39 Critical, 40–69 Building, 70–100 Good.

Traffic Summary

Below the score circle, three counts show how many nutrients fall into each priority: Urgent (red), Watch (amber), and Good (green).

Bottleneck Warning Card

Immediately below the hero, if any Bottleneck Scenario (Section 4.6) has triggered, a red-bordered card lists each suppression reason and any mandatory mechanical action. Fix what it says before reading further.

Key Findings

The hero card includes a headline reflecting the worst finding, plus a "What To Do This Week" action card with short, actionable next steps.

5.3 Section 1 — What's Wrong

This accordion section contains two sub-sections:

Key Findings & Alerts

Red and green alert boxes — each a short sentence identifying a critical finding or confirming something in good shape, cross-referencing the relevant nutrient or antagonism.

Stop List

Products to stop applying immediately. Continuing to apply a product on the Stop List drives an antagonism deeper and blocks absorption of corrective products.

Stop applying Calcium (Ca) — foliar and soil
Excess Ca confirmed. Continued application is blocking Mg and B uptake.
Act on the Stop List before building your tanks Check every product currently in your spray programme. If any contains a nutrient on the Stop List, remove it.

5.4 Section 2 — Your Soil & Crop

This section provides a simplified view of nutrient status using visual status bars, plus plain-language explanations of what the results mean for the plant and the soil.

Nutrient Status

Each nutrient shows its Young Leaf and Old Leaf values, a status label (Critical, Low, Optimum, Elevated, Excess), the direction of movement (Rising or Falling between YL and OL), and a verification badge:

Verified

The same diagnosis appears in at least two of three data sources (sap, soil, tissue). Acted on with full confidence.

Sap Only

The finding appears only in the sap data. Treated with more caution — flagged as a watch item rather than an urgent correction.

The engine also identifies Luxury Consumption — nutrients taken up beyond what the plant needs at this stage. These should not be increased further.

Antagonisms & Transport Restrictions

Many deficiencies are caused by other nutrients blocking uptake, or by root problems preventing transport. The engine identifies these mechanisms using four card types:

Root Integrity Alert

High Chloride, high EC, and multiple ions elevated suggest physically compromised root membranes. Investigate before spending money on inputs.

Confirmed Soil Antagonism

An excess of one nutrient is actively blocking uptake of another. The blocking nutrient is added to the Stop List.

Hidden Risk Antagonism

Conditions are moving toward an antagonism but no confirmed deficiency yet. Monitor at next sampling.

Transport Restriction

Nutrient is adequate in soil but is not reaching the leaf. Foliar application bypasses the problem.

Each antagonism card includes: the Mechanism (what is happening), a Soil Fix (root-cause correction), a Foliar Bypass (immediate spray correction), and specific Action / Investigation steps.

Crop Health & Next Steps

Plain-language interpretation of what the results mean for the plant, the soil, and a recommended resample date.

5.5 Section 3 — Your Action Plan

Treatment Protocol — The Tank System

Corrective foliar products are organised into separate tanks to avoid chemical incompatibilities:

MICRO Tank

Trace and micro nutrients: Zinc, Boron, Manganese, Iron, Copper, Sulphur, Nitrogen. Applied first in the early morning. A second pass may appear as MICRO-2 at a reduced maintenance rate.

Ca+B Tank

Calcium, Boron, and Silicon where required. Kept separate from MICRO because high-calcium products interact with some chelates.

P-K Tank

Potassium, Phosphorus, Magnesium, and Molybdenum. Kept separate from Ca+B because K and Ca compete at high rates.

Soil Biology Drench

Soil biology inoculants (Trichoderma), applied as a ground drench. Only recommended where the Field Assessment confirms it is safe — the Biological Desert and Anaerobic Pathway bottlenecks can suppress this entirely.

Application Schedule

A day-by-day spray calendar for your spray interval — the section you hand to the spray operator alongside the Field Sheet PDF.

1
Pass 1 — Morning (6–9 AM)
MICRO Tank at the calculated rate. Apply when leaves are dry.
1
Pass 1 — Afternoon
Ca+B Tank. Minimum 4-hour gap after MICRO tank.
7
Pass 2 — Morning
MICRO-2 Tank at maintenance rate.
14
Resample
Collect new sap samples from the same trees / blocks.

Key Spray Rules

  • Spray in the morning — between 06:00 and 09:00 when stomata are open.
  • Adjust tank pH — most foliar nutrients absorb best at pH 5.5–6.5.
  • Minimum gap between tanks — never spray two different mixes within 2–4 hours on the same leaves.
  • Do not spray in extreme heat or wind — above 32°C or wind above 15 km/h.
  • Soil Biology Drench — once per 28 days only, and only where no bottleneck has suppressed it.

Soil Amendments

Only present when soil analysis confirms bulk nutrient deficits that foliar sprays alone cannot fix — and only recommended where the Field Assessment confirms the soil can physically use them (not during an active Compaction Bottleneck).


Post-Report Actions

What to do with the report once it has been generated.

📧

Print & Send PDF

Converts the report to PDF and emails it as an attachment to the contact email address. A copy is also sent to info@successionsoils.co.za for your records.

📄

Field Sheet PDF

A simplified worksheet for the spray operator — treatment protocol only, no diagnostic explanations. If you entered Tank Volume and/or Area, this sheet calculates exact per-tank and total-area product quantities. Print this and hand it to whoever is physically mixing the tank.

🔗

Send Report Link

Emails a secure link to view the report online. The link uses a private UUID that cannot be guessed and works without a login. Useful for clients who want to open the report on a phone without downloading a file.

Sync Now

Saves the report to your cloud database so it appears in the Reports Viewer (Section 8). The sync indicator shows a coloured dot — green means synced, amber means pending, red means failed. Re-syncing the same analysis overwrites the cloud copy, never creating a duplicate.

Close Report

Collapses the report from view without deleting anything. If you have not synced, sync first — closing does not save your work to the cloud.


Mandatory Mixing Sequence

A strict protocol for combining monohydrate trace mineral salts with fish hydrolysate. Get this order wrong and the tank mix is destroyed.

Why this sequence is mandatory Monohydrate salts must be pre-chelated with fulvic acid before they contact fish hydrolysate. Raw metallic sulphates react with the phosphates in fish hydrolysate to form insoluble precipitates — solid particles that fall out of solution, clog nozzles, and represent product that will never reach the leaf. Skipping or reordering a step destroys the batch.

This sequence only applies when Input Source is set to Salt-Based. If you use Chelated (AgriTechnovation Phloem), the products arrive pre-chelated and this sequence is not needed.

Phase 1 — Dissolve Monohydrate Salts

1

Add the monohydrate salts to a separate bucket of clean water. Agitate until fully dissolved — typically 5–10 minutes.
Do not add salts directly to fish hydrolysate.

Phase 2 — Tank Induction

1

Fill the main sprayer to 60–70% capacity with water and engage vigorous mechanical agitation.

2

Slowly add the dissolved Monohydrate Trace Mineral solution from Phase 1.

3

Add the Fulvic Acid and agitate for at least 10 minutes to allow complete metal-fulvate chelation.
NEVER skip this step. Fulvic acid must fully chelate the metals before fish hydrolysate is added.

4

Only once chelation is complete, slowly add the liquid Fish Hydrolysate. The metals are now organically shielded and cannot react with the hydrolysate's phosphates.

5

Fill the tank to 100% capacity and apply within 24 hours.

If the Anaerobic Pathway bottleneck is active (Section 4.6), Step 4 changes The report automatically withholds Fish Hydrolysate and replaces Step 4 with a red warning: biological carbon inputs will breed root-rot pathogens in oxygen-depleted soil. Mix only the chelated Fulvic Acid solution — do not add fish hydrolysate until drainage has been resolved.

This sequence appears as a popup modal inside the report, triggered by a red Mandatory Mixing Sequence — Read Before Mixing button in the Treatment Protocol section.


The Reports Viewer

Browsing, searching, and re-opening past analyses.

Every analysis you sync to the cloud is accessible at sap.successionsoils.co.za/report.html. The Reports Viewer requires the same login as the Analysis Tool.

Searching and Filtering

The search bar filters by farm name, contact name, contact email, crop, or sample ID. The crop dropdown filters to a specific crop type.

Opening a Past Report

Click any row to view the full report, including its Composite Score and any bottleneck cards exactly as generated. Use Back to List to return, and Print to print or save as PDF. Browser back-button navigation is supported.

The URL updates to include the report ID (e.g. ?id=14), so you can bookmark a specific report. This URL requires login — it is not a public link.

Report Metadata

Above the report content, a metadata bar shows farm name, contact details, crop, farming method, phenological stage, sample ID, report date, and the date synced to the cloud.


Sharing Reports

Two ways to share a report with someone who does not have a login.

Option 1: Print & Send PDF

The report is converted to a PDF and attached to an email sent to the contact address. A copy is sent to info@successionsoils.co.za. No internet connection needed after downloading.

Option 2: Send Report Link

An email containing a URL that opens the report in the browser without requiring a login, using a unique UUID that cannot be guessed. The public view hides admin elements and contact details for privacy.

Public links are permanent There is currently no way to revoke a link once sent. For sensitive client data, use Print & Send PDF instead.

Field Sheet PDF — for internal use

The Field Sheet PDF is designed for the spray operator, not the client — it contains only mixing instructions and quantities, no diagnostic explanations. Keep this distinct from the full report when deciding what to share externally.


Custom Norms & Products

Add your own crop sufficiency ranges and input products.

Click Manage Norms & Products next to the Crop dropdown in Configuration to open this panel.

Add Crop Norms

For crops not on the built-in list, select Other (Custom Norms) from the Crop dropdown, then click + Add Crop Norms. Enter a Crop Name and either import sufficiency ranges from a norms PDF, or fill in Lower and Upper Norm for each nutrient manually. Click Save Norms — the crop then appears in your Crop dropdown for future analyses.

Add Input Product

Click + Add Input Product to register a product not in the engine's built-in library.

FieldNotes
Product NameRequired.
Target NutrientWhich nutrient this product delivers.
Description / Active IngredientsFree text.
UnitL (liquid), kg, or g (solid).
Application RateRequired.
DeliversWhat the product delivers at that rate.
ConcentrationDecimal fraction of active nutrient.
Tank AssignmentRequired — MICRO, Ca+B, P-K, or Bio. Determines which tank the product is grouped into.
Application MethodFoliar, Soil, or Both.
CertificationNone, Ecocert, or Bioavailable — controls which certification tag displays next to the product.

Custom products and norms are stored in your browser's local storage. They appear in the Manage panel where they can be deleted if no longer needed.


Supported Crops & Lab Formats

Built-in crop norms and the laboratory PDF formats the engine can auto-read.

Supported Crops

Tree Nuts

  • Macadamias (P-sensitive)

Tree Fruit

  • Avocados
  • Lemons
  • Oranges (Navel / Valencia)
  • Grapefruit

Small Fruit

  • Blueberry

Row Crops

  • Maize (Corn)
  • Sugarcane

Vegetables

  • Broccoli
  • Cauliflower
  • Cabbage
  • Carrots

Pastures

  • Ryegrass
  • Kikuyu
  • Bermuda / Couch
  • Instant Lawn

Specialty

  • Proteas (P-sensitive)

Custom Crops

Select Other (Custom Norms) and use Manage Norms & Products (Section 10) to upload your own values.

Supported Sap PDF Formats

Soil2Sap (Agrisol / Schoeman)

The primary format. Extracts farm name, crop, phenological stage, sample date, sample ID, Young Leaf and Old Leaf values, and Brix, pH, and EC where present.

Agresol Differential

Reads the Agresol Differential sap report layout, including the plant health section and nutrient table.

SARAI FAS Leaf Summary

Reads the SARAI Foliar Analysis Service leaf summary format.

Other Laboratories

Use skip upload and enter values manually.

Soil Analysis Formats

  • SASRI (Ambic-1 extraction)
  • Cedara / KZN Department of Agriculture (Ambic-1)
  • NviroTec (Mehlich-3 extraction)
  • Brookside (Mehlich-3 extraction)
  • Auto-detect

Selecting the correct lab source matters because Ambic-1 and Mehlich-3 extraction methods produce different P readings for the same soil — the engine normalises P values to a common basis once the lab source is known.


Glossary

Key terms used throughout the report.

Antagonism
When an excess of one nutrient physically blocks the uptake or movement of another.
Bottleneck Scenario
One of three specific combinations of Field Assessment indicators (Compaction, Anaerobic Pathway, Biological Desert) that automatically suppress or redirect chemical recommendations. See Section 4.6.
Brix
A measure of sugar (soluble solids) concentration in plant sap. Higher Brix generally indicates better plant health.
Chelate / Chelated
A nutrient chemically bonded to an organic molecule to protect it from reacting with other elements.
Composite Score
The 0–100 headline score at the top of every report, blending the Field Assessment score (40%) with sap chemistry (60%), plus a triangulation confidence bonus. See Section 5.2.
EC (Electrical Conductivity)
A measure of ion concentration. High sap EC can indicate dehydration or root damage; high soil EC (>2.0 dS/m) is a GIP gateway trigger.
F:B Ratio
The balance of fungal and bacterial biomass in the soil food web. The single largest-weighted indicator (20 of 100 points) in the Field Assessment.
Field Assessment
The 15-indicator physical and biological soil scoring system. See Section 4.
Field Sheet PDF
A printable spray-day worksheet with exact per-tank and total-area product quantities.
Foliar Bypass
Applying a nutrient directly to the leaf to bypass a soil antagonism or root restriction.
GIP Gateway
Gateway Indicator Protocol. Five hard thresholds in the Field Assessment that force the entire field score to zero if any one is breached. See Section 4.5.
Immobile Nutrient
A nutrient the plant cannot relocate from old to young tissue once deposited (Ca, B, Fe, Mn). Deficiency shows first in new growth.
Input Source
Configuration toggle between Salt-Based (raw monohydrate salts) and Chelated (pre-chelated AgriTechnovation Phloem products).
Luxury Consumption
When a plant absorbs more of a nutrient than it needs. Should not be increased further.
Mandatory Mixing Sequence
The strict protocol for chelating monohydrate salts with fulvic acid before they contact fish hydrolysate. See Section 7.
Mobile Nutrient
A nutrient the plant can relocate from old to young tissue (N, P, K, Mg, S). Deficiency shows first in old growth.
Old Leaf (OL)
The oldest functional leaf on the sampled shoot. Reflects nutrients stored during earlier growth.
Prescription Mode
Combines all dry products within a tank into a single blended recipe rather than listing each separately.
Rhizosheath
The layer of soil that clings to roots when pulled from the ground, bound by root hairs and microbial mucilage. Its presence indicates active root-microbe symbiosis.
Salt Ceiling
The maximum EC permitted per tank load. Exceeding it causes leaf burn. Adjustable via Spray Conditions.
Sap Analysis
Laboratory analysis of the liquid pressed from fresh plant tissue, showing what is currently flowing in the plant.
Slake Test
A field test of soil aggregate stability — a dry clod dropped into water and observed for collapse. Scored 1 (immediate collapse) to 5 (no collapse).
Triangulation
Cross-verifying sap findings against soil and leaf tissue data. A finding confirmed in two or three sources is treated as verified.
Young Leaf (YL)
The newest expanding leaf on the sampled shoot. Reflects current supply and demand.
Succession Soils (Pty) Ltd
successionsoils.co.za  ·  sap.successionsoils.co.za  ·  info@successionsoils.co.za
SAP Analysis Engine User Manual — v3.0 — July 2026
This manual is based on a direct review of the application source code as of the date above.