Challenges Facing Soil-Testing Laboratories to Provide Soil Health-Related Analysis

CSA News ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 64 (4) ◽  
pp. 24-25
Keyword(s):  
Soil Health ◽  
Soil Testing ◽  
Testing Laboratories ◽  
Health Related

scholarly journals Factors determining the soil health card adoption behaviour among farmers in Andhra Pradesh

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jayalakshmi Mitnala
Keyword(s):  
Tamil Nadu ◽  
Andhra Pradesh ◽  
Central Government ◽  
Soil Health ◽  
Health Indicators ◽  
Soil Testing ◽  
Current Status ◽  
State Governments ◽  
Health Card ◽  
Testing Laboratories

The soil health card (SHC) is used to assess the current status of soil health and when usedover time, helps to determine changes in soil health that are affected by land management. ASHC displays soil health indicators and associated descriptive terms. The SHC carries cropwiserecommendations of nutrients / fertilizers required for farms, making it possible forfarmers to improve productivity by using appropriate inputs. The Central Government isproviding assistance to State Governments for setting up soil testing laboratories for issuingsuch SHCs to farmers. State Governments have adopted innovative practices like involvementof agricultural students, NGOs and private sector in soil testing, determining average soilhealth of villages, etc., to issue SHCs. Though quite a few states including Tamil Nadu,Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and Haryana are successfully distributing such cards, the Centreplans to make it a pan India effort. According to a data, till November 15th 2017, over 9.72 croresoil health cards have been issued to farmers to make them aware about nutrient deficienciesin their fields.

scholarly journals Influence of soil conservation techniques on growth and yield of maize (Zea mays L.) in Terai region of West Bengal

2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 133-147 ◽  
Author(s):  
B De ◽  
S Bandyopadhyay
Keyword(s):  
West Bengal ◽  
Conservation Tillage ◽  
Acid Soil ◽  
Soil Health ◽  
Growth Yield ◽  
Conventional Tillage ◽  
Growth And Yield ◽  
Yield Attributes ◽  
Stover Yield ◽  
Health Related

The climate of the terai region of West Bengal, India in general, is subtropical par humid to tropical with light textured acid soil with the problems like low moisture retention, low water use efficiency, leaching of bases, soil erosion, limited availability of multiple plant nutrients and restricted activity of beneficial soil micro-organisms. To combat these soil health related problems and to improve the overall productivity of North Bengal, a comparison between the conventional and conservation tillage was taken up and the immediate results were measured in terms of growth, yield attributes and yield. In the first two years of experimentation, though different growth attributes, grain yield, stover yield, and different yield attributing characters such as kernel rows cob-1, number of kernels row-1, 100 seed weight (g), number of seeds cob-1, girth of cob, length of cob and number of effective cob plant-1 were higher in conventional tillage as compared to conservation tillage but in terms of soil heath characteristics, conservation tillage had a meaningful remark from the initial years towards the future food security. Mulching @ 4 t ha-1 was found to have performed better than unmulched treatments. Application of 75% recommended dose of fertilizer + Vermicompost @ 10 t ha-1 resulted in better growth and yield attributes which directly influenced to have higher grain and stover yield. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/sja.v11i1.18390 SAARC J. Agri., 11(1): 133-147 (2013)

Standardizing Soil Testing Methods

1980 ◽  
Vol 63 (4) ◽  
pp. 763-765
Author(s):  
Wayne Sabbe
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
The United States ◽  
Soil Testing ◽  
Soil Test ◽  
Test Results ◽  
Testing Methods ◽  
Standard Methods ◽  
Testing Procedures ◽  
Testing Laboratories ◽  
Phosphorus And Potassium

Abstract Soil tests are performed to determine the amount of nutrients available to plants so that fertilizer and lime recommendations can be formulated. In 1951, State soil testing laboratories had numerous extractants for determining phosphorus and potassium. Twenty years later, only 3 extractants each were used for phosphorus and potassium. In the United States, a regional approach produced standardized methods for several of the most common soil testing procedures. These detailed standard methods resulted from identifying procedural causes for variations in soil test results. For example, the amount of nutrient extracted varied by size and shape of extraction vessel and speed and time of shaking. Currently, terminology and expression of soil test results, and a search for a more universal soil extractant, i.e., one that can be used to determine several rather than a single nutrient, are 2 of the main areas of effort.

Estimating the electrical conductivity of saturated paste extracts from 1:5 soil, water suspensions and texture

Soil Research ◽  
1993 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 73 ◽  
Author(s):  
PG Slavich ◽  
GH Petterson
Keyword(s):  
Electrical Conductivity ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Sandy Soils ◽  
Soil Testing ◽  
Testing Laboratories ◽  
Water Suspensions ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Wetting Method ◽  
Lower Saturation ◽  
Labour Time

This paper presents a method of estimating the electrical conductivity (EC) of a saturated paste extract (ECe) from the EC of a 1 to 5 soil/water suspension (EC1:5) and an estimate of soil texture. The method has application in soil testing laboratories which routinely determine EC1:5 but not ECe. The method of preparing the saturated paste by capillary wetting is also compared with the standard method of hand mixing. The coefficient (f) relating ECe to EC1:5, i.e. ECe = fEC1:5 was found to be related to the water content of the saturated paste (�SP kg/kg) by f = 2.46 + 3.03/QSP. The relationship between �SP and texture, determined by hand working, indicates that the uncertainty associated with use of this relationship could be significant in sandy soils. Wetting the soil by capillarity rather than by hand mixing resulted in a lower saturation percentage and higher ECe but dissolved the same amount of salts. The capillary wetting method is preferred as it greatly reduces labour time.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document