An indespensable tool for decision making
Soil Testing
Soil testing is an essential to any agronomic management program in agricultural production. Among the aspects that we are going to know with this type of analysis, we highlight the following:
- Soil fertility
- Availability of nutrients in the soil
- Amendments are to be made in pre-sowing or pre-planting.
- Generate a diagnosis of a nutritional problem in my crop.
When should the analysis be performed?
Without accurate soil testing, we would be blind to the decision-making for fertilization: application, harvest objectives, and contribution, thus making the production process more expensive.
The effectiveness of the soil analysis will depend, to a large extent, on its representativeness. It will be of little use if the soil sample analyzed only represents 10% of a plot when the recommendation is to sample every 5-10 Ha.
All irrigation and nutrition management must have a starting point, an analysis of agricultural soil, and an irrigation water analysis, so we can access the information to execute the best possible irrigation and fertilization program.
Given the importance of correct analysis of agricultural soils for any agronomic management program, we have developed a Soil Factory Lab, a new concept for an analytical laboratory, due to its high technology and product design, which allows us to offer the best turnaround times and most competitive market rates.
Soil Factory Lab
Technology, precision and speed
Given the great importance of accurate analysis of agricultural soils for agronomic management programs, we have developed the Soil Factory Lab, a unique and innovative analytical laboratory concept for agricultural soils.
Its high technology, capacity, and generative design allow us to offer the best response times, the most competitive prices on the market, and maximum precision and quality of data.
The Soil Test
The most important parameters
Texture
This parameter will indicate the best irrigation strategy to get the most out of the water provided. In terms of nutrition, it will generally indicate the salt content and forecast the nutrient retention capacity. All this will indicate which elements must be provided, in what dose, and which chemical form of application is the most recommended.
pH
This parameter will indicate the soil’s reaction, acid or alkaline. This parameter will give an idea of the availability of elements such as phosphorus and micronutrients in the soil solution, which are very sensitive to variations in this factor.
Electrical Conductivity
Indicates the salinity of agricultural soil. Depending on this value, we will determine if the crop to be sown/planted is tolerant to the soil or create the best fertilizer and irrigation strategy to achieve better results.
NUTRIENTS AVAILABLE TO THE PLANT
We must know whether macronutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, and magnesium) or micronutrients (iron, boron, manganese, zinc, molybdenum, and copper) are in what proportions we can find in our soil. It will help us know their total quantity if only a minimum percentage is soluble to enter through the roots.
In short, without these points, making a good recommendation for a client, be it a basic or a general approach for the whole year, would not be possible.
All the Parameters
Physico-chemical parameters: Texture and granulometric fractions (clay, silt, fine sand, medium sand, coarse sand, etc.), pH (H₂O and KCl), electrical conductivity, active limestone and total carbonates, oxidizable organic matter, C/N ratio, moisture, etc.
Fertility: Nitrogenous forms (Total Nitrogen, Kjedahl, Nitric, Ammoniacal, and Organic), Phosphorus, and Available Bases (Calcium, Magnesium, Potassium, and Sodium).
Soil structure: Exchange bases (Calcium, Magnesium, Potassium, Sodium), Cation exchange capacity, etc.
Assimilable fractions: Calcium, Magnesium, Potassium, Chloride, Sodium, Sulfur, Aluminum, etc.
Saturated Paste Extract (EPS): Ammonium, Nitrates, Phosphates, Potassium, Calcium, Magnesium, Sodium, and Chlorides.
Microelements: Iron, Manganese, Copper, Zinc, Boron, etc.
Heavy Metals: Lead, Cadmium, Mercury, Arsenic, Chrome, Nickel, Lithium, Beryllium, Cobalt, Titanium, Tin, Strontium, Barium, Silver, etc.
Irrigation Parameters: Proper water, field capacity, wilting point, permeability, etc.
Risk of compaction
The importance of an accurate interpretation
Agricultural soil testing will not only tell us the fertilizing capacity of our substrate but also give us an idea of the availability of macronutrients and micronutrients, a factor in pH, active limestone, texture or organic matter, etc. At AGQ Labs, we have an expert team of agronomists who interpret the data and translate it into the right management plan for your crops.
