agriculture review

Why Soil Testing Is Essential For Farmers

by aditya abhishek

Introduction

Soil fertility is one of the most important factor necessary for the growth of crops. And to determine pH, nutrients availability, etc. soil testing is essential. 

Benefits

Soil testing helps in understanding chemical & physical properties of the soil for getting adequate fertilizer recommendations for reducing farm waste & increasing efficiency. 

Benefits

Adding fertilizers in higher or lower amounts results in poor crop growth. Hence, getting farm soil tested helps farmer in planning fertilizer application for better yield. 

Challenges

However, soil testing is essential, but the process of collecting samples to testing in laboratory requires professional skills. 

Methodology

Farmers should not collect samples from one place, they should collect 10 to 30 samples from various soil units in their farm with the help of spade. 

Precautions

Moreover, avoid taking samples from near gates, boundaries, buildings, shaded regions, compost area, etc. And remove grass, stones, roots, etc. from the collected samples. 

Next Steps

Dry the collected samples under shade for 3 to 4 days and pack it in a clean bag and send it to nearby soil testing centers for soil snalysis. 

Recommendations

Based on soil test results, crop you want to grow & other factors soil analyst will plan fertilizer dozes & frequency for getiing optimum yield. 

Thanks for reading!

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