5/29/2017 UnderstandingPPMinsoil

(/free-trial)
SMART! SOFTWARE FREE TRIAL (/FREE-TRIAL)

Main (/) / Articles (/articles) / Understanding PPM in soil

UNDERSTANDING PPM IN SOIL News & Events

SMART! Software Live Demo

(http://www.smart-
The numbers on the soil test reports may be expressed in dierent units. Many times, even the same lab expresses dierent
fertilizer.com/live_demo)Today
elements in dierent units.
(http://www.smart-fertilizer.com/live_demo)
PPM is one of the most common units on soil test reports. What does ppm stand for and how can we estimate the actual
How to maximize crop productivity by
amount of the tested element in the soil?
precise nutrient management

(http://www.smart-
PPM stands for Parts per Million, or the ratio 1/1,000,000.
fertilizer.com/live_demo)


PPM is used to measure low concentrations in aqueous solutions or in soil. In solutions, ppm refers to mg/liter or grams/m3.
Note that it represents a ratio of mass to volume. This can be done because the mass of water is the same as its volume (in Fertilizer Optimization
Metric units). Software
Turns Your Field's Data into Precise
In the soil test report, ppm usually stands for mg/kg, so that 1 ppm = 1 mg/kg. Fertilizer Recommendations.
Any Crop. Anywhere.
However, many labs use soil extracts, like saturated paste, 1:2 extract etc. In such cases, the ppm level stands for mg/liter in the
soil extract.

To convert ppm of a nutrient (mass/mass as in mg/kg) to an actual amount, in kilograms or pounds, we must have three other
parameters known:

Theareafor which we want to calculate the nutrient amount.

Thebulk densityof the soil. Bulk density is dened as the dry weight of soil per unit
(http://www.smart-fertilizer.com)
volumeof soil. Most soils have a bulk density of 1.1-1.6 ton/m3.
Learn more (http://www.smart-
And thelayer depthfor which we want to calculate.
fertilizer.com)
Leave aor
message

http://www.smartfertilizer.com/articles/ppminsoil 1/5
5/29/2017 UnderstandingPPMinsoil

SIGN UP FOR A FREE TRIAL

Example SMART! SOFTWARE FREE TRIAL (/FREE-TRIAL)
FirstName *

How many kilograms of available potassium are there in a 30 cm (12 inch) layer of one hectare (2.47 acre) plot, if the soil test
report shows a level of 10 ppm of potassium? The bulk density of the soil is 1.2 ton/m2.
LastName *

Company

Email *
What is the amount of available potassium in this soil layer,
if the soil test level is 10 ppm?
Country *

If you are used to work with US or imperial units, it is advised to convert some measure to metric units, for ease of calculation.

Phone *
US units Metric Units

1 pound 0.453 kg

1 acre 4046.86 sqm (m2) Occupation *

1 inch 0.0254 meters


Since 10 ppm are 10 mg/kg, we should rst know the mass of this layer of soil. MainCrop *


1 ha = 10,000 m2.
Crop(useCTRLfor
The layer depth is 0.3m, therefore the volume of the soil layer is: multiselect) *

Abaca
10,000 X 0.3 = 3000 m3(cubic meters). Alfalfa
Almond
Alstroemeria
Once we know the volume, we can calculate the mass of this soil layer, multiplying the mass by the Bulk Density of the soil:
Anemone
Anthurium
Leave a message
Whichchallenges

http://www.smartfertilizer.com/articles/ppminsoil 2/5
5/29/2017 UnderstandingPPMinsoil

Whichchallenges
3000 m3 X 1.2 ton/m3 = 3600 tons (3968 short tons). canwehelpyou
solve? *
SMART! SOFTWARE FREE TRIAL (/FREE-TRIAL)
Now, the amount of potassium in the soil can be calculated, using the denition for ppm.
1ppm = 1 mg/kg.

3600 tons = 3,600,000 kg.

We have 10 mg of potassium per kilogram of soil and therefore:
SignUp
3,600,000 X 10 = 36,000,000 mg = 36 kg (79.3 lbs).

Therefore, we have 36 kg of potassium in our 1ha plot and layer depth of depth of 30cm.

Theoretically, a crop that grows on this plot and has its active root system at the top 30 cm layer will have 36 kg of available
potassium.

SMART! Fertilizer Management Software -

Innovative Solution
Recommends the ideal fertilizer mixture/ blends

Savesup to 50% on fertilizer costs

Comprehensivedata on hundreds of crop varieties

Interpretstestresults for any extraction method

GET YOUR FREE TRIAL (http://www.smart-fertilizer.com/free-

trial)

(http://www.smart-fertilizer.com/smart-web-video-

hydroponics)

Leave a message

http://www.smartfertilizer.com/articles/ppminsoil 3/5
5/29/2017 UnderstandingPPMinsoil

SMART! SOFTWARE FREE TRIAL (/FREE-TRIAL)

SMART! SOFTWARE OTHER PRODUCTS FREE RESOURCES CONTACT DETAILS

US: +1-804-4820973
Free Trial (/free-trial) Testing Kits (http://www.smart- Professional Newsletter

fertilizer.com/testing-kits) (http://www.smart- UK: +44-20-71932286

Support (/support)
fertilizer.com/newsletter) info@smart-fertilizer.com
E-Book (http://www.smart-
Log In (http://app.smart-fertilizer.com)
(mailto:info@smart-fertilizer.com)
fertilizer.com/e_book) Webinar Broadcasts (http://www.smart-
Log In to old version (https://web.smart-
fertilizer.com/online-course/webinar- (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Smart-
Course (http://www.smart-
fertilizer.com/SmartApp/Authorisation/Login/LoginEntry.aspx)
broadcast) Fertilizer-Management/182563868425424)
fertilizer.com/online-course)

Blog (http://www.smart-

fertilizer.com/articles) (https://plus.google.com/u/0/10967581648388097743

(https://www.linkedin.com/company/smart-?

trk=biz-companies-cym)

(https://twitter.com/SMARTfertilizer)

(https://www.youtube.com/playlist?

list=PLnnCzlPzetU8-qticjJKft6Tyi5BcYamu)

Copyright 2017 smart-fertilizer.com. All rights reserved. Disclaimer (/disclaimer) | Privacy

Policy (/privacy-policy)

Leave a message

http://www.smartfertilizer.com/articles/ppminsoil 4/5
5/29/2017 UnderstandingPPMinsoil

SMART! SOFTWARE FREE TRIAL (/FREE-TRIAL)

Leave a message

http://www.smartfertilizer.com/articles/ppminsoil 5/5