Agrica

Soil sampling, testing and its proper interpretation followed by need based fertilization is the pillar for sustainable and climate smart agriculture in the region. In the early 1940s, when agriculture moved from subsistence to production farming systems, soil testing became a recognized subfield of soil science. Nowadays, soil testing is popular because it can be used to determine how well crop production-limiting soil variables can be controlled and whether or not remediation materials are reasonably priced. This not reducing the overall energy and water footprints, costs of cultivation but also mitigates the adverse effects of the global warming. Many a times farmers collect soil samples in a wrong way which diluted all further effects. Hence, prerequisite is to train the farmers regarding correct and scientific way of collecting the soil sample for different purposes with suitable precautions, only then objectives of soil testing will be met in a sustainable manner. In this article, attempt made to highlight every aspect of the soil sampling followed by discussion on different physico-chemical properties viz. potential of hydrogen (pH), electrical conductivity (EC) and soil organic carbon (%) (SOC) followed by macro viz. available Phosphorus (P) and potash (K) and micronutrients viz. available zinc (Zn), Iron (Fe), manganese (Mn) and copper (Cu). Through accurate soil testing and interpretation, different fertilizer usage can be optimized, crop yield increased and the detrimental environmental impact realised.