4 SS12 Soil Testing
4 SS12 Soil Testing
4 SS12 Soil Testing
Introduction:
The first step in determining plant nutrient requirements is deciding on what type of crops or
plants will be grown is through soil testing. Soil testing is the best method available for determining how
much nutrient is needed for optimum production of most crops. Some soils are inherently deficient in
plant nutrients. Other soils had sufficient levels of nutrients in the past, but removal with crop harvest has
depleted the reserves. Thus, soil testing is widely accepted and used in the most advanced crop-
production areas to the world to determine fertilization needs for crops. Soil testing involves collecting
soil samples, preparation for analysis, chemical or physical analysis, interpretation of analysis results and
finally making fertilizer and lime recommendations for the crops.
Analysis by the Soil Test Kit is a quick method of evaluating the fertility status of a soil. It
involves chemical analyses that measure the amount of nutrients in the soil that are available to the plant.
Results are interpreted and used as a basis in making a recommendation on the right kind and amount of
fertilizer for a particular crop when grown in the soil being tested. The Soil Test Kit is cheap, quick,
handy and easy to use. It does not require sophisticated laboratory instruments and specialized training for
the user. Soil testing can be done right in the field and results are obtained within the hour. It is, therefore,
a useful tool to famers and extension workers who, oftentimes, need immediate answer to the question of
what kind and amount of fertilizer to use for a crop grown in a particular soil.
Objective/s:
Materials:
soil test kit
Procedure:
Questions:
References:
Introduction:
The most effective technique for figuring out how much fertilizer is required for most crops
to produce at their best is soil testing. Certain soils are naturally low in nutrients for plants.
In the past, certain soils possessed enough amounts of nutrients; however, agricultural
harvesting and removal have exhausted the supply. For this reason, soil testing is
generally acknowledged and utilized to determine crop fertilization demands in the world’s
most modern crop-production locations. Gathering soil samples, getting ready for
analysis, doing a chemical or physical analysis, interpreting the findings, and lastly
recommending fertilizer and lime for the crops are all part of soil testing.
A rapid way to assess a soil’s fertility level is by analysis using the Soil Test Kit. Chemical
analyses are used to determine how much nutrition is present. That the plant can access
in the soil. When growing a certain crop in the soil under test, recommendations for the
type and quantity of fertilizer to use are based on the interpretation of the test results. The
Soil Test Kit is inexpensive, convenient, rapid, and simple to use. Both advanced
laboratory equipment and specialized user training are not necessary. It is possible to do
soil testing in the field, and findings can be obtained in about an hour. Because they
frequently need a quick response to the question of what kind and quantity of fertilizer to
use for a crop grown in a specific soil, farmers and extension agents find it to be a useful
tool.
Objective/s:
Materials:
Procedure:
Soil PH
Fill the test tube with soil sample up to the 1st mark.
Add 1 mL or fill the test tube with solution CPR pH indicator dye up to the 2 nd
scratch mark.
Mix by gently swirling the test tube 20 times.
Let the test tube stand for 2 minutes then mix again test tube 20 times. Stand for
the test tube for 5 minutes.
To get the pH of the soil, incline the test tube with the resulting solution and match
the color of pH indicator with color chart.
Repeat the procedure, if soil pH is equal to or greater than 5.8 used BTB Instead of
CPR and if soil pH is less than or equal to 5.4 used BCG instead of CPR.
If there is no color matched on BTB or BCG refer the result on CPR for the final
reading.
Nitrogen
Results and Discussion:
Soil sample pH N P K
1 6.4
For the PH
First test, using CPR gives the result of 6.0. Since it is greater than 5.8 we repeat the
process but this time we use BTB.
For the 2nd test, using BTB, it give the result of 6.4. Since it is less than 5.4,our final results
for the PH of the soil would be 6.4 PH.
For the N
Questions:
Reference/s:
Brady, N.C., Weil, R.R. (2016). The Nature and Properties of Soils. Pearson.
Soil Testing
SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES
This is one of the most important aspects of soil testing. Usually a composite sample of
only 1 kilogram is taken from a field. In a 10 hectare field there are about 2 Million kilogram of
surface soil, and with this extremely small sample there is a considerable opportunity for error.
Hence, it is quite important that the sampling instructions be followed carefully, for a poor
sample is worse than none at all. The soil testing laboratory analyzes the sample submitted to
them. If the sample does not represent the field, it is impossible for a good recommendation to be
made. The error in sampling a field is generally greater than the error in laboratory analysis.
1. Each care should be of the same volume and represent the same cross section of the
sampling volume.
2. The cores should be taken at random with respect to the sampling volume, usually
restricted to crisscross the directions of cultural operations and natural trends of change
such as slope.
3. Enough cores should be taken to represent the whole sampling volume adequately.
4. There should be no chemical interactions of soil materials composited that are significant
to the objective. e.g. putting of samples in rusty containers.
5. The soil unit selected for one composite sample should be homogenous for the objective
of the analysis. For example, division of a field into several areas on the basis of observed
or otherwise known heterogeneity permits analysis of a sampling volume for each field
area and the farmer should treat this separately.
Procedure for Collecting. Samples:
A farm seldom has uniform land features. It may have level as well as sloping areas; it
may wet or stony portions. You should collect a sample which represents an area uniform in
slope, texture, drainage, depth and crop raised. Any two areas which vary in any or all of these
characteristics should be sampled separately. You must, therefore, inspect the farm. Divide it into
lots, each lot to be represented by a composite soil sample.
Each of the lots in the farm should be represented by a composite surface soil sample. To
obtain this soil sample, dig a pit about 8 inches depth with a shovel or any digging instrument. In
a soft soil, you can easily make this by one vertical thrust of the shovel into the soil and putting
the shovel earth aside. Then obtain with a shovel a thin slice of soil about one inch thick and 2
inches wide on the vertical side of the pit. Place this in a collecting pail.
You should collect a subsoil sample where deep-rooted crops are or will be planted. This
is collected in the same manner as the surface soil sample. The only difference is that it is
obtained at a greater depth, say 24-30 inches.
To collect the subsoil sample, the pit left after collecting the surface soil is continued to
the desired depth. Use 3-6 of these pits randomly selected in each lot.
Obtain a thin slice of the soil on the side of each of these pits at the desired depth. These
slices are then mixed, composited, and half a kilogram of it is placed in air-tight container. This is
the subsoil sample.
1. Tools
a) that a uniform slice be taken from the surface to the depth of insertion of the tool.
b) that the same volume of soil should be obtained from each area.
In general, soil tube meet these two requirements. These soil tubes also work well under most
conditions, except in dry or gravelly ground. Other tools used are trowels, augers, spades or
power-driven sampler.
This shows the layout of a sampling unit based on topography and size of the field. The farm
or field to be sampled is given a general inspection and a diagram is prepared showing the
different fields, the drainage pattern, and the main kinds of soil such as upland
or bottom land. Separate samples are taken to represent each distinct kind of topography, soil
texture, soil organic matter content, fertility status and management unit.
In general, the greater the soil variation, the small is the area that should be represented by a
single sample. Fields in which the soil differs in color, texture, drainage or past treatment may
need to be divided into smaller sampling units or areas.
Each soil sample is a composite consisting of the soil from cores taken at several places
in the field. A composite is needed since soil vary considerably even within small areas. Uneven
distribution of lime or fertilizers, past cropping and soil properties cause fertility differences.
5. Depth to sample.
Cultivated fields are sampled to plow depth, which is usually from 6-8 inches. This is the
layer with which previous application of lime and fertilizer have been mixed and the zone from
which the plants obtain most of its nutrients. In cases where lime and fertilizers are mixed into the
subsoil, it maybe necessary to sample this entire layer in order to satisfactorily estimate the
amounts of lime and fertilizer that should be applied for the next crop.
1. Collecting soil samples from the field (follow correct procedure). Remember the analytical results
are expected to be representative for the entire field. It must be that a field should be sampled in
such a way that chemical analysis of collected samples will accurately reflect the field's true
nutrient status. This means that the results must reflect the true variations within the field.
2. Air-drying
3. Grinding/Pulverizing
4. Sieving
5. Actual analysis
It is important that the agronomist/soil scientist who makes the recommendation know the
past management practices used on the land and the proposed crop to be grown. The farmer should
send along with the soil sample the following information:
1. the kind of crops which were grown during the preceding 3 to 5 years.
With this information, the agronomist/soil scientist will be in a much better position to
make an intelligent recommendation once the chemical tests have been made.
The general procedure in soil testing involves shaking in a flask a small sample together
with a measured amount of extracting solution perhaps for 30 minutes or less. The extract is then
separated by filtration and chemical determinations are made for the extracted nutrient elements.
The results then serve as the basis for recommendation. It should, however, be emphasized that
the amount of any element removed does not represent the total amount of that element present in
the soil. Only a fraction of the total is removed in the extracting solution and the amount may not
represent exactly that which is available to a plant. No claim is made to having duplicated the
plant so closely as to remove in 30 minutes by chemical extraction what the plant would remove
during its growing season. It can be stated, however, that a relationship exists -the larger the
amount of any element removed by the extracting solution, the larger will be the amount of that
element in the soil in a form available to the plant.
1. To evaluate fertility status of the soil in a given field. Soil chemical test attempts to
determine that portion of the soil nutrients that is available to the plants.
3. To provide a basis for recommendation on the amount of lime to apply. The amount
of lime to be applied is dependent on soil pH value which can only be determined by
soil chemical test.
4. To obtain a value that will help predict the amount of nutrients needed to supplement
the supply in the soil.
A soil with a high test value will not require supplement as it will at a low test value.
This is the most critical part in any soil testing program. Once the results of the chemical
test are available, the agronomist/soil scientist is ready to make a recommendation to the farmer.
In doing this, the following recommendation is necessary:
2. Physical properties of the soil such as texture, slope, and internal drainage.
As could be noted from the list, the soil test itself is only one piece of information used in
making fertilizer recommendations. The person who makes the recommendation should also have
a wide background in the practical as well as theoretical aspects of crop production in order to
make intelligent use of the information.