Soil Science 24

Laboratory Exercise No. 4

METHOD OF ASSESING SOIL FERTILITY
Soil Chemical Analysis-A.Soil Sample Collection

Name: MARVIN F. TUPAZ Date conducted: September/27/19

Lab section: F 7:00-10:00 Date Submitted:October/04/19
Lab Instructor: Deejay Maranguit-LumanaoPh.D Rating: _____

Introduction

Soil testing is an important diagnostic tool for determining the nutrient needs of plants
and for environmental assessments. Some soils are inherently deficient in plant
nutrients. Other soils had sufficient levels of nutrients in the past, but removal with crop
harvest has depleted the reserves. Thus, soil testing is widely accepted and used in
most advanced crop-production areas of the world to determine fertilization needs for
crops. Soil testing can also be used to identify application rates of waste materials
containing nutrients or other elements that could harm the environment. Waste
materials such as animal manures and industry by-products may provide various plant
nutrients. However, high application rates to soils designed to dispose of the material at
a low cost may result in nutrient loads that are harmful to plant, animal, or human
health. Nutrient management regulations are being developed to address land
application of waste materials. Soil testing is required in many regulations and
management guidelines to assess environmentally harmful levels of certain elements
and to determine limits to application rates.
Soils are tested routinely for the primary nutrients phosphorus (P), potassium (K), and
nitrogen (N). In some regions, soils are also routinely tested for other primary nutrients
such as calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), and sulfur (S), and for other nutrients required
in very small amounts by crops such as boron (B), copper (Cu), iron
(Fe), manganese (Mn), molybdenum (Mo), and zinc (Zn). Soils receiving waste
materials are also tested for elements such as arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), nickel
(Ni), lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), and selenium (Se) among others.
Two of the primary plant nutrients, N and P, may have harmful effects on
the environment when applied to soils in excessive amounts. Excessive N
and P applications to agricultural fields and ineffective nutrient, soil, and
water conservation practices are increasing nutrient pollution in many regions of the
world. However, the basic concepts of soil testing also apply to other elements.
Phosphorus is included with the group of elements with relatively low mobility in soils
(Ca, Cd, Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, and Zn among others). N, especially in
the nitrate form, is included with the group of elements with greater mobility (which
include B, Cl, S, and others). Important concepts include the meaning of a soil-test
value, soil-testing quality, use of soil testing to determine economically optimum nutrient
application rates, and use of soil testing for environmental assessments.

Objectives:
1. To acquaint the students with the general procedure for soil testing
2. To measure the concentrations of nutrient elements in the soil
3. To compare the effects of lime and fertelizer treatments on the nitrogen phosphorous
and potassium contains of the soil

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Before the soil was collected in the Soil Science field, it was examined for differences in soil
characteristics and plant treatment. The field was inspected and surveyed and assessed its homogeneity
inland features. If the area varies in terms of slope, texture, depth, drainage and cropping history either singly
or in combination divide it onto lots. The area represented by composite soil sample or a mixture of 10 sub-
samples collected in the Soil Science field wherein the students identified sub-sampling points in and proceed
to soil sample collection. The pictures below are the following materials and procedures
done in shovel the field:

basin

Plastic bag

Sack or manila paper (where the

bolo
collected samples will be placed for
Soil auger
quartering)
 Selected sampling spot (Soil Science Field)
Brush away stone, rubbish, trash or grass on the surface of the land or remove the surface litter at the
sampling spot. Using the shovel, push it down the surface or topsoil to a depth of approximately 15 cm
and get a slice of soil sample 2 cm thick and 5 cm wide (composite soil sample of about 1 kilo to
represent the soil unit area).

 0 to 25 cm depth for shallow rooted plants like rice, corn and vegetables 25 to 30 cm depth for fruit
trees/permanent crops like coconut.

V shape cut

Make a ‘V’ shaped cut Drive the auger to a plough

to a depth of 15 cm in depth of 15 cm and draw the
the sampling spot soil sample

The soils on the side of the auger and shovel was

removed the collected soils was placed in the basin by the
use of bolo.
 Quartering was done by dividing the
The samples was mixed thoroughly
thoroughly mixed sample into four equal
and foreign materials like roots, stones,
parts.
pebbles and gravels was removed.

Two opposite quarters are discarded and the remaining is mixed. Collected samples
placed in a clean in a clean and label with required information.Air dry the soil
samples by spreading them in oldnewspapers or mats under the shade or indoor.
Besure to avoid contaminations among the samples and keeping them away from dirt
or foreign matters.
Result and discussion
Achieving and maintaining appropriate levels of soil fertility, especially plant
nutrient availability, is of paramount importance if agricultural land is to remain capable
of sustaining crop production at an acceptable level. Soil sampling and analysis is the
first of three equally important steps in managing the nutrients required by plants. The
second is the interpretation of the analytical data leading to the third step,
recommendations for nutrient additions, as fertilisers or manures, to optimise crop yields
while minimising any adverse environmental impact from their application. Currently
recommendations for nutrient additions to soil are based on well-tried and tested
methods of soil analysis. Recently however soil audits, involving additional analyses,
and recommendations based on different approaches to the interpretation of analytical
data are being offered to farmers. Are these recent introductions useful, valid and cost
effective? This article seeks to address these issues.The productive capacity of a soil
depends on often complex and sometimes little understood interactions between the
biological, chemical and physical properties of soil. Good farm practice aims to manage
the various factors that make up each of these three properties to optimise the yields of
crops in environmentally friendly ways. Although the focus of this article is on plant
nutrients, managing these properly is only one part of best soil management practice
which also involves consideration of soil organic matter, soil structure, and the
maintenance of a thriving soil microbial population. Soil analysis is an aid to managing
soil nutrients efficiently to maintain soil fertility for those nutrients like phosphorus (P),
potassium (K) and magnesium (Mg) that are retained in soil in plant available forms. If
the amount of any of these nutrients in such forms in soil is too small then yield is
jeopardised, but increasing reserves in agricultural soils to very high levels is an
unnecessary expense.
For many decades’ soil scientists have sought ways of indicating the availability to
plants of nutrients, like phosphorus, potassium and magnesium. The total quantities of
these which occur in soil can be large although invariably not all is plant available. For
advisory purposes analytical procedures for ‘plant-available’ nutrients have to be quick
and reproducible; over time appropriate chemical extractants have been found and are
now widely used. Once a reliable analytical method for assessing the readily plant
available status of a nutrient in soil became established, fertiliser
recommendations were based on this method of characterising soils.

Conclusion

Soil testing involves collecting soil samples, preparation for analysis, chemical or
physical analysis, interpretation of analysis results, and finally making fertilizer and lime
recommendations for the crops.
 Questions:

1.Discuss the importance of taking a representative soil sample.

Soil sampling and testing can show you the plant available nutrients and other soil chemical
factors important for winter wheat production. Nutrient levels in soil also vary from year to year,
so it is important to perform soil sampling and testing prior to planting any new crop.

2.When it is necessary todevide the field into lots in taking a representative soil sample?

3.Give the necessary precautions in collecting soil samples and the requirements for
composite soil sampling procedure.

Proper safety precautions must be observed when collecting soil sample.

The following precautions should be considered when collecting soil samples.

• Special care must be taken not to contaminate samples. This includes storing samples in a secure
location to preclude conditions which couldalter the properties of the sample. Samples shall be
custody sealed during long-term storage or shipment.

• Collected samples are in the custody of the sampler or sample custodian until the samples are
relinquished to another party.

• If samples are transported by the sampler, they will remain under his/her custody or be secured
until they are relinquished. • Shipped samples shall conform to all Department of Transportation
(DOT) rules of shipment, and/or International Air Transportation Association (IATA) hazardous
materials shipping requirements found in the current edition of IATA’s Dangerous Goods
Regulations.

• Documentation of field sampling is done in a bound logbook.

• Chain-of-custody documents shall be filled out and remain with the samples until custody is
relinquished.

• All shipping documents, such as air bills, bills of lading, etc., shall be retained by the project
leader in the project files.

Collecting Composite Soil Samples:

 A composite sample is made by combining several subsamples from the same area in a site
and then sending a portion to the lab. Soil tests can be no better than the sample. Therefore, proper
collection of the soil sample is extremely important.

 Divide the site into areas with uniform conditions

If there is more than one soil type or native plant community class on the site, a separate
composite sample should be collected for each of them. Soil survey maps or field observations of
significant differences in topography, surface soil texture, thickness of topsoil, soil drainage,
vegetation, or native plant community class can be helpful to determine uniform areas.

 Collecting subsamples

Within each area, collect a subsample for every 1 to 4 acres. Spread the subsamples evenly
across the area. The more variable the soil, the more sub samples should be combined per area
sampled.

A soil probe provides the quickest method for collecting sub samples if there aren’t too
many rocks. Scrape away the duff, but not the topsoil, and push the probe all the way down. Pull
the probe out and put the top six inches in a clean bucket, go to the next sub sample spot, repeat
the process and put the next sub sample into the same bucket. Please record the topsoil thickness
of each sub sample and calculate the average for the composite sample.

 Keep the width of the soil slice uniform along the entire 6 inches

Tip the shovel blade until horizontal while holding the slice on the blade in an undisturbed
condition and lay the shovel on the ground. Clean off the surface of the soil if needed. Lay a ruler
on the soil face, the end flush with the top of the soil.
 Preparing to trim the sample
Use the knife to scrape away the excess soil not covered by the ruler. Measure six inches
down from the soil surface and discard any soil beyond that distance . Put the sample in a clean
bucket, go to the next sub sample spot, and repeat the process adding that sub sample to the bucket.
Please record the topsoil thickness of each sub sample and calculate the average for the composite
sample.
 Trim away soil no covered by the ruler.
 Trimming is complete, put the sample in a bucket.
Mix the subsamples
When subsampling is completed for an area, mix the composite sample in the bucket
thoroughly and place about one pint into a box or a zip-lock bag. If the samples are wet, they
should be air dried before putting in a container and sent to the Laboratory. Fill out a soil sample
information sheet for each composite sample. Complete the: a) “mail soil test report to” section
(send it to your Region Silviculturist), b) the sample identification code, c) check the “Total
organic matter” box in the “Check Tests Requested” section, and d) write the average topsoil
thickness on the margin.

4.Taking the soil sample correctly is very critical in fertilizer recommendations.

Comment

Because soil is a mixture of so many things such as sand silt and small particles of rocks.The
significance of collecting soil properly is toanalyze it inorder to give a right advice to the farmers
what are the nutrients lack in the soil and give them the correct fertilizer recommended rate.

References:

o https://www.pda.org.uk/technical-potash-notes/assessing-soil-fertility-the-importance-
of-soil-analysis-and-its-interpretation/
o https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sciences/soil-testing