All you need to know about soil testing

But one of the most cited reasons for this challenge is soil fertility and the ability to improve and manage it. Soil analysis is common in many parts of the world, allowing farmers to measure the level of major nutrients like nitrogen, sodium, and potassium in their soil, gauge the appropriateness of growing a particular crop in an area, and adjust their fertilizer application accordingly.

In agricultural produce soil testing cannot be over-emphasized. Soil testing is an integral part of crop cultivation especially in large scale i.e. commercial agriculture, where the cultivation of one type of crop is involved.

In soil testing, the following processes are involved:

Farm survey to ascertain area of land, most time farm owners don't know, possible varying features, choice of crop which will determine the number of soil sample taken note, one sample isn't enough for a 50^ 100m size plot.

2. Samples taken, bagged, labelled, taken to the laboratory for Analysis. It is the result from the laboratory, a soil scientist will know the true health status of the soil, as well as the land, its suitability for the choice crop, the soil scientist can then make recommendations to manage, sustain and boost the soil for better yield. Note laboratory analysis often times ain't carried out by the scientist, but technician, ad it's charged per sample. With the hike in prices, prices of chemicals too isn't indifferent.

(3) The soil scientist will then make a report from the laboratory results, diagnosing soil unhealthy state, make soil fertility treatment and management recommendation, type, dosage, stage of growth the crop and other soil amending materials where applicable. Then a licensed seal placed on the copy of your soil status report for authentication, as quacks are offering cheap services with no seal and wrong diagnosis lacking proper recommendation.

So when next, one seeks for soil testing services, please bear in mind, it involves cash, professionalism is expensive, but not scary... Agriculture is capital intensive.