What Is Soil Testing And What Are Various Methods Of Soil Testing?

A good crop needs fertile soil(soil testing), plenty of water, and an appropriate environment. out of these three factors water can be managed, the environment is out of human control, and fertility of the soil depends on the geographical factors of that particular land.

However, the fertility of the soil can fade over the years and also due to environmental factors. For such times there is a process called Soil Testing. In simpler words, the soil is tested for various factors through different types of tests and then what type of fertilizers can help to maintain or increase the fertility of the soil can be determined.

What Are Various Methods Of Soil Testing?

Soil testing is in short analyzing the soil. So that through that analysis one can know the quality of the soil.

In soil testing you will get to know:

• The nutrients present in it.
• Composition of the soil.
• Acid level present in the soil.
• Other unwanted materials present in the soil.
• Any bugs or insects that can destroy the fertility of the soil.

Soil testing is an important aspect of the agricultural sector for many reasons.

But the main factors out of them are given below

• For increasing the production of crops.
• For protecting the overall environment from getting infected by usages of more fertilizers,
• For offering help in sorting plant culture problems if any.
• For improving the nutrition and overall health of the new growing crop.
• Can help in saving the money that an individual can spend on costly fertilizers.

Now, that two points are clear that what is soil testing and why does it hold an important part in the agricultural sector. Moving forward, on types of the test that can be conducted on the soil. But for that let us first see what are the different types of soils. Because depending on the type of soil one can know which type of Soil Testing can be conducted on that particular soil.

Types of soils

• Soil that can be perfect to grow any type of crop – Loamy
• Soil that can be helpful to grow crops like cactus, watermelon, dates – granular or sandy soil
• Soil that can be very difficult to grow anything on it  – fine granules of mineral or rock
• Last but not the least powdery, dull grey soil

There are many more types of soils, but the above ones are the most prominent. Depending on the nature of the above soils, different types of soil testing can be conducted.

This soil testing is conducted by a knowledgeable individual who is an expert in geological technicalities.  The person needs to have complete knowledge in various aspects right from knowing the type of the soil, the machines or chemicals he would need for testing, and more.

When conducting Soil testing for construction following factors are checked:

• To check the amount of moisture present in the soil
• See whether the soil is too light or too dense
• To check for any water outlets below the soil
• To check whether the soil density is enough to support the foundation,
• And so on,

When conducting Soil testing for agriculture following factors are checked:

• To test the absorbing level of the soil
• To check the moisture level of the soil
• To check the acidity or chemical present in the soil
• To check the nutritional level of the soil,

These soil testing can help both farmers or constructors to see what can be done if the soil is not up to the mark. Hope this article could shed some light on most of the factors of soil testing.