Lecture No.

12
SOIL HEALTH CONCEPTS METHODOLOGY FOR ASSESSMENT
Soil Health
Inherent ability of the soil to supply nutrients at sufficient quantities in suitable
proportion besides maintenance of physical and biological properties
Soil Health { Physical + Chemical + Biological}
Soil Health is Human Wealth
Nourish the Soil to Flourish the plant
Feed the Soil to Feed the People
QUANTITY OF NUTRIENTS REQUIRED

Plant species and variety

Yield level
Soil type
Environment
Management

Eg

Rice
Sugarcane

120:60:60 N:P:K kg /ha

225:65:135

TECHNIQUES IN SOIL FERTILITY ASSESSMENT

1. Nutrient deficiency symptoms
Plants are good indicator of soil fertility
2. Quick plant tissue tests
Field evaluation
3. Biological tests
Using plants or microorganisms
4. Soil analysis
Nutrient status and fertilizer prescription
1. NUTRIENT DEFICIENCY SYMPTOMS
Deficiency symptoms commensurate with soil nutrient status
Plants exhibit symptoms as a direct consequence of physiological malfunction
Distribution of foliar symptoms associated with mobility of mineral ions

PRECAUTIONS IN VISUAL DIAGNOSIS

Symptoms may be due to multiple nutrient deficiencies

One deficiency may resemble other nutrient toxicity

Difficult to distinguish deficiency and disease symptoms

Many factors associated with symptoms

2. QUICK PLANT TESTS

NITROGEN
Leaf tissue + add 1-2 drops 1% diphenylamine
No colour

Severely deficient

Slightly blue

Deficient
Dark blue

Sufficient
PHOSPHOROUS
Leaf tissue + Reagent (8 g of ammonium molybdate in 200 ml of H 2O and
add 126 ml of conc. HCl and 74 ml of distilled water. This reagent is diluted four times
before use.
No colour

Severely deficient

Green / Bluish green

Deficient in P

Dark blue

Adequate supply of P

POTASSIUM
Leaf tissue + Reagent (5g sodium cobaltinitrite and 30g sodium nitrite in
60 ml of d water, add 5 ml of glacial acetic acid, make up the volume to 100)
Turbidity

3. BIOLOGICAL TESTS

No turbidity
Sufficient

Deficient

PLANTS
Field tests
Strip tests
Greenhouse

Application of graded levels of nutrients

Narrow field strips undergoing nutrient treatments in farmers fields
Tests conducted using field soils

MICROORGANISMS
Aspergillus flavus test
Connicomella tests

3. SOIL TESTS MOST RELIABLE

To provide an index of nutrient availability
To predict probability of obtaining profitable response
To provide a basis for fertilizer prescription
To evaluate the fertility status of soils

STANDARD SOIL TESTS

pH
EC
Organic carbon
Nitrogen
Phosphorous
Potassium
Micronutrients
(Fe, Mn, Cu, Zn)

pH Meter
Conductivity Bridge
Chromic acid wet digestion method
(Black, 1935)
Alkaline Permanganate Method
(Subbiah & Asija, 1956)
Neutral- alkaline soil : Olsens Method
Rice soils
Bray method
Flame Photometer
Neutral Normal Ammonium Acetate
Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer
DTPA Extract (1:2)

SOIL TEST INTERPRETATIONS

LOW
Organic Carbon
< 0.5%
Available N (kg/ha) < 280
Available P (kg/ha) < 11
Available K (kg/ha) < 118
MICRONUTRIENTS
< Critical level = Deficient

MEDIUM
0.5-0.75%
280-450
11-22
118-250

HIGH
>0.75%
> 450
> 22
>250

> Critical level = Sufficient

Fe
3.5 ppm (non-calcareous)
6.5 ppm (calcareous)

Zn = 1.2 ppm B = 0.44 ppm

Cu = 2.0 ppm Mo = 0.05 ppm
Mn = 2.0 ppm