Soil Health Management/Soil Testing

Soil Testing

When

• After harvesting or when the crop is standing.
• Once in every three year before the on set of crop season.
• When moisture in soil is least.

Why

• To know the problems in the soil arises due to intensive farming.Indicator of availability of different nutritive elements in the soil.
• Estimation of requirement of nutrient in crop to be sown.
• More profit by balanced fertilizer management.

How

• Prepare 6 inch deep pits in “v” shape at approximately 8-10 places in 1 acre area.
• Take a joint sample of ½ kg. by mixing soil of all part of the field.
• Separate gravels, grass etc. from the sample soil.
• Fill the dry sample in cloth bag and mention details of farmer’s name, address, khasara number, mobile number, Adhar number and crop to be sown.
• Send the sample to laboratory or test himself by Soil Testing Kit.

Classification of Nutritive Element required for plants

Different part of the plants grew by absorbing water and nutritive element from the soil, Carbon Di Oxide from air and light energy from sun. In view of the requirement of nutritive elements of the plant, it is classified as follows:
Primary Nutritive Element – Nitrogen, Phosphorous and Potash.
Secondary Nutritive Element – Calcium, Magnesium and Sulphur.
Micro Nutritive Element– Iron, Zinc, Copper, Magnese, Molybdenum, Boron and Chlorine.

Soil Health Card Scheme

This scheme is being jointly operated by Government of India, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers Welfare and Uttar Pradesh Government. The implementation of this scheme was started in Rabi Season of 2015-16 through Department of Agriculture, Uttar Pradesh. The objective of this scheme is to provide the status of nutritive elements in soil of the farmer’s field and give suggestions for use of right quantity of fertilizers and essential soil improvers so that the soil health can be maintained for longer period.

Soil Health Card

Soil health card is a soil testing and analysis report card in which sample is taken on the basis of grid of 2.5 hectare in irrigated condition and 10 hectare in un-irrigated condition. All farmers of a grid will be provided the same type of soil health card. The soil health card is made available to the farmers free of cost after testing/analysis of all 12 parameters (Primary Nutritive Elements-Soil pH, E.C, fossil carbon, available nitrogen, phosphorous, and potash, Secondary Nutritive Elements- Sulphur, Micro Nutrient- Zinc, iron, Magnese, Copper, and Boron)

Objective of Soil Testing

Beneficiary:

All farmers who have land holdings.

Benefits:

As per above.