How Does Soil Testing Assist Farmer's ?

  1. Evaluates Soil Fertility & Nutrient Requirement.
  2. Determine soil Fertility loss post- Harvest.
  3. Mitigates Environmental damage & Operation Cost.
  4. Understand Soil Suitability for Crops.
  5. Helps Minimize Chemical Usage 
  6. Helps Improve Crop Health & resistance to diseases. 

Soil Nutrition –Major and Minor

  1. Major nutrients

 

  • Group I :
  • Carbon,   C
  • Hydrogen    H
  • Oxygen.   O
  • Group II:
  • Nitrogen,   N
  • Phosphorus,   P
  • Potassium   K

 

  1. Secondary Nutrients:

 

  • Calcium,   Ca
  • Magnesium,   Mg
  • Sulphur   S
  • Micro nutrients:
  • Iron,  Fe
  • Manganese,   Mn
  • Boron,   B
  • Zinc,   Zn
  • Copper,   Cu
  • Molybdenum   Mo
  • Chlorine.  Cl

Oxygen

  • H2O, O2  Oxygen
  • Oxygen is part of water as well as carbon dioxide
  • This evolution of oxygen takes place in the process of photosynthesis.
  • Oxygen plays a dominant role in the processes of photosynthesis and respiration in plants

Hydrogen

  • H2O  di-hydrogen monoxide
  • It is one of the most important elements in the nature
  • When organic compounds either break up in the plant or decompose in the soil or atmosphere, the released hydrogen always combines with oxygen and forms water.
  • Building sugar
  • Helps drive the electron transport chain in photosynthesis and for respiration

Nitrogen

  • NH4 + , NO3 –  Ammonium , Nitrate 
  • It is not only an essential part of carbohydrates, fats and oils but also an essential ingredient of amino acids and form proteins
  • Highly required for metabolic activity and Highly  mobile
  • Nitrogen produces early growth and delay maturity in plants
  • Vigorous vegetative growth, give dark green colour
  • Nitrogen is essential part of chlorophyll
  • Excess nitrogen shows leaf burning symptom

Organic Nitrogen

1.20-40% in form of bound amino acid
2.5-10% as combined hexose amines
3.1-3% is mineralized
1.C;N > 30 immobilization (non available)
2.C:N < 20 Mineralization (available form)
3.Low status < 250 kg N/ha
4.Medium 250- 500 kg N/ha
5.High > 500 Kg N/ha

Phosphorus

  • H2PO4 – , HPO4 -2  phosphate 
  • Availability in 6.5  to 7.5 pH
  • It is a constituent of the cell nucleus, essential for cell division
  • Phosphorus is particularly helpful in the production of legumes
  • It stimulates early root growth and development
  • Energy generation in ATP
  • Seed Formation, Strangeness of stem, fruit quality

Soil Testing Kit

  • Colour compare visual method (NPK Ph)
  • STFR (Soil testing fertilizer recommendation kit)