The Importance of Soil Testing Before Fertilization

There is a wise piece of advice we all have come across once: 'Better planned is half the battle won' which now can also be taken as 'Data is the new oil'. While one can debate the utility of such pieces of advice in specific instances, the significance they hold in the contemporary world is enormous.

 

Farming, as an endeavor, is a set of inputs that are to be planned before deployment. Be it fertilizers, irrigation, or pesticides, planning and timing every action according to and sometimes before its requirements is a virtue one always seems to count on. When it comes to the forethought of farming, the one thing that stands out as an absolute essential is soil. Soil is something almost all, if not all, of our farming undertakings depend upon. Soil testing is a contemporary process that involves analyzing nutrient content and soil pH and forecasting nutrient requirements.

 

Read along as we decode the benefits of soil testing before the application of fertilizer to the soil.

1. Soil testing helps farmers identify a specific nutrient deficiency in the soil and, hence, adopt a targeted approach when it comes to the application of fertilizer. For instance, Calcium Nitrate Fertilizer can be used when it comes to the weak calcium profile of soil, and Magnesium Sulphate Fertilizer can help stabilize transplant shocks and nutrient uptake.

2. The unnecessary application of resources can sometimes do worse instead of providing any significant benefit. For instance, excessive use of urea in India is deteriorating soil pH levels, while the non-judicious deployment of fertilizers such as calcium nitrate fertilizer is altering water body health.

3. The targeted application of fertilizers can help maximize yield in a cost-effective manner. The cycling of fertilizers and farming inputs can prove beneficial in the short and long run. Take, for example, the case of magnesium sulphate fertilizer, whose application in summer is responsible for enhancing chlorophyll health and hence can keep plants greener even in the scorching heat.

4. The addition of required fertilizer not only prevents plants from uptaking toxic chemicals unnecessarily but also prevents pollution from affecting water bodies situated nearby. Hence indirectly ensuring cleaner water for irrigation for the crops

 

Hence, in summary, farming as we know it today is no less than a battle, which raises the significance of planning. Soil testing offers a lucrative avenue to plan your farm inputs in a sustainable fashion for both better yields and a healthier environment.