Analysis of Agricultural Soils with Soil Testing Lab Equipment

Labfit Australia
Sep 3, 2018 · 2 min read

Soil analyzes are the essential part on which any program of agronomic management in an agricultural production is based. Among the aspects that we will know with this type of analysis, we highlight:

· Fertility of our soil.

· Availability of nutrients in the same.

· Amendments to be made in pre-planting or pre-planting.

· Generate a diagnosis before a nutritional problem that my crop presents.

· Without a correct soil analysis, we would be blind to decision-making in the fertilizer, applying less, preventing harvesting, objectives or contributing excessively, thus increasing our production process.

The effectiveness of soil analysis will depend to a great extent on the representativeness of the soil. It will be of little value that the sample of soil to be analyzed only represents 10% of a plot, and it is recommended to make an analysis for each 15–20 ha of the surface.

All irrigation and nutrition management should have as a starting point a soil analysis in addition to irrigation water analysis, so we can have access to the information that allows us to execute the best possible irrigation and fertilization program for our conditions.

· Agricultural land

· Soil Testing Equipment

What parameters are analyzed in soil analyzes?

The information provided by soil analysis and that we should not overlook before any decision to make is the following:

Texture: This parameter will tell us what will be the best irrigation strategy to get the most out of the water provided. In terms of nutrition, it will give us a rough indication of the salt content and will give us an estimate of the nutrient retention capacity. All this will indicate what elements should be contributed, in what does and what chemical form of application is the most recommended.

PH.: It will indicate the reaction that the soil will have, whether acidic or alkaline. This character will give an idea of the availability of elements such as phosphorus and micronutrients in the soil solution, which are very sensitive to variations in this factor.

Electric conductivity: Indicates the salinity of the soil. Depending on this value we will know if the crop to plant is tolerant to our soil or the best fertilizer and irrigation strategy to achieve the best result.