SOIL ANALYSIS

Soil provides a reservoir of nutrients required by

crops.

The purpose of soil analysis is to provide to monitor

composition of soil.

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SOIL ANALYSIS
Physical parameters Color Texture Structure Soil pH Temperature Permeability and water holding capacity Bulk density Consistence
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Soil ANALYSIS
Porosity Soil compaction Specific Heat Capacity Soil micro flora and micro fauna Fertility

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SOIL ANALYSIS
CHEMICAL PARAMETERS Electrical conductivity Cation Exchange Capacity Salinity BIOLOGICAL PARAMETERS Organic matter Estimated Nitrogen Ratio

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SOIL ANALYSIS PHYSICAL PARAMETERS

Color Moist soils are darker than dry ones and the organic

component also makes soil darker.

Red and Yellow hues are indicative of good drainage

and aeration , for the activity of aerobic organisms in soil.

Grey hues are indicative of poor aeration . Soil color charts have been developed for the

quantitative evaluation of colors.

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SOIL ANALYSIS PHYSICAL PARAMETERS

TEXTURE AND STURUCTURE
Size distribution of primary mineral particles called

soil texture, has a strong influence on the property of soil.

Particles smaller than 2mm in diameter are divided

into three broad categories based on size Sand, Silt, Clay

Particles of 2 to 0.05 mm diameter are called sand.

Particles of 0.05- 0.02 are called silt Particles less than 0.02 mm are clay
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SOIL ANALYSIS PHYSICAL PARAMETERS

SOIL pH The soil pH measures active soil acidity or alkalinity. A pH 7.0 is neutral Soil values lower than 7.0 are acidic soils and higher

are alkaline.

Usually the most desirable p H range for mineral soils

is 6.0 to 7.0 and for organic soils 5.0-5.5

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SOIL ANALYSIS PHYSICAL PARAMETERS

TEMPRATURE Soil temperature affects soil biology and chemistry Each organism has an optimum temperature for

growth and reproduction . (evaporation)

Temperature affects phase changes of water SPECIFIC HEAT CAPACITY Sandy soils hold little water , they warm up faster in

spring and cool down soon in fall.

In contrast ,clay soils with higher water content have

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high specific heat capacities. They warm up slower in

SOIL ANALYSIS PHYSICAL PARAMETERS

SOIL COMPACTION Soil compaction destroys the quality of soil because it

restricts rooting depth and pore size.

The effects are more water filled pores less able to

absorb water , increasing runoff and erosion , lower soil temperatures .To reduce compaction
Add organic matter Practice reduced till Harvest when soils are not wet
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SOIL ANALYSIS PHYSICAL PARAMETERS

PERMEABILITY WITH WATER HOLDONG

CAPACITY

The rate at which water moves through the soil is

permeability.

The ability of soil to hold water are affected by the

amount ,size and arrangement of pores

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SOIL ANALYSIS PHYSICAL PARAMETERS

BULK DENSITY Bulk density is weight of volume of bulk soil(solid

particles +pore spaces)

CONSITENCE Consistence is a description of soil's physical

condition at various moisture contents .

The consistence of soil is determined to a large extent

by texture of soil but it is related to other properties such as content of organic matter and type of clay 5/5/12 minerals.

SOIL ANALYSIS PHYSICAL PARAMETERS

POROSITY Porosity is measure of pore space . Pore space influences how much water and air , a soil

can hold.

Porosity is turns affected by Soil Texture Soil Structure Compaction Organic matter
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SOIL ANALYSIS PHYSICAL PARAMETERS

SOIL MICROFLORA AND FUANA Microorganism constitutes less than 0.5% of the soil

mass yet they have a major impact on soil properties and processes .60-80% of the total soil metabolism is due to micro flora .One gram of top soil contain as many as one billion bacteria Up to 100 million actinomycetes One million fungi 100 nematodes
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SOIL ANALYSIS PHYSICAL PARAMETERS

FERTILITY Clay soils have a greater surface area per volume and

higher cation exchange capacity and therefore are able to hold more ionized minerals and nutrients .
Sandy soils have lower CEC and able to hold fewer

nutrients.

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SOIL ANALYSIS CHEMICAL PARAMETERS

pH Cation exchange capacity Chemical properties of soil organic matter Conductivity Salinity

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SOIL ANALYSIS CHEMICAL PARAMETERS

ELECTRICAL CONDUCTIVITY Ability of soil to conduct electric current is expressed

in mille Siemens per meter(lmS/m)

Soil scientist used EC to measure soil salinity. CATION EXCHANGE CAPACITY A cation is positively charged ion .Most nutrients are

cations Calcium , magnesium ,potassium , zinc etc. absorbed and held by soil.

CEC is the measure of quantity of ions that be CEC is dependent upon the amount of organic matter

and clay in soils and types of clay.

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SOIL ANALYSIS CHEMICAL PARAMETERS

SALINITY Salt can come from irrigation water , fertilizers

,composts and manure.

Salts can be leached by slowly applying water . Saline soils are rich with sodium

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SOIL ANALYSIS BIOLOGICAL PARAMETERS

SOIL ORGANIC MATTER Measurement of amount of plant and animal residue

in soil. The color of soil is usually closely related to organic matter content ,with darker soils being higher in organic matter.
ESTIMATED NITROGEN RELEASE The ENR is an estimate of the amount of nitrogen that

will be released over the season .

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