Description

Soil sampling and testing are done to provide an estimate of the capacity of the soil to supply adequate amount of nutrients to meet the needs of growing crops and information to its nature and problem. Soil forms from a complex interaction between earth materials, climate, and organisms acting over time. The brightly colored soils of the humid tropics reflect the intense chemical reactions occurring in warm climates. The fertile prairie soils of the American Midwest evolved from the nutrient-rich organic matter left by decaying grasses. Regardless of soil characteristics, the whole process starts with the breakdown of earth material. Soil sampling and testing can give an excellent inventory of plant available nutrients and other soil chemical factors important for crop production. This inventory is a basis for recommending additional nutrients for crop production on an individual field basis. Plant tissue analysis measures nutrient levels in the plant during their growth. The supply of available nutrients is reflected in the nutrient content of the crop. Therefore use of plant tissue analysis allows a producer to evaluate the effectiveness of fertilizer recommendations from a soil testing service. Producers who do not soil test can still use routine plant tissue analysis to evaluate their fertilizer management program to determine whether they used the correct kinds and amounts of nutrient. This book contains the details of exercises about analytical determination of physical, physico-chemical and chemical characteristics of soils. In addition, the glassware, stepwise procedures, observations to be recorded and calculation are given for evaluation of results.