Humidity Test: Practical Application
To test the humidity in a field, we had to look for a location in the field that was an average representation of the total elevations in the field. If we chose a depressed area, the water content would be too high of a representation and if we chose an elevated area, the water content would be too low of a representation.
Once an area was chosen, we used a tool to remove core samples of soil at 20 cm intervals from 0 - 200 cm. Each sample is bagged and identified for later evaluation. In the first field, we were unable to get samples beyong 160 cm because the water content was too high to remove any soil at those depths.
With the samples, we went to analyse the data at La Chalet - where the workers sleep during the week. We weighed out 200 g for each sample section into aluminum containers. We then put them into an over at 200 C for a few hours. When we returned we measured the weights again to see the weight change. The samples were then put into the oven again to be measured once more a few hours later. This process is continued until the weights stay constant (+/- 2 g), and the total loss in weight is used to calculate the humidity content at each level in the soil.
Nitrogen Test: Practical Application
The second test is determining the nitrogen content in the soil to ensure the plants will have ample to produce elevated yields. The sample size for this test is to take 5 samples at 3 different locations in one field of depths 0-30 cm and 30 - 60 cm. The 15 samples for each depth are mixed, bagged and identified for later analysis.
In La Chalet, we mix 40 g of soil with 40 g of distilled water. The mixture is then stirred for 3 minutes create a soluble solution with the particles from the field soil. The solution is then filtered into a sanitized beaker. A nitrogen test where a treated stick is calibrated, dipped in the filtered solution, then allowed to oxidize for one minute is conducted. After the one minute oxidation the stick is put into the calibrator for analysis, and it will tell you how much nitrogren is contained in your sample.
The maximum in our tests was 17 ppm N and the minimum in our tests was 0 ppm N. The lower depths always contained less N than the higher depths.
A soil testing gives us an idea about what our soils need to be healthy and productive. And this process is very beneficial to grow plants and foods. We can also read some actual process of the soil testing on this article. The amount and balance of nutrients in the soil are very effective on the plant's growth.
ReplyDeleteSoil Test Sunshine Coast