Soil testing

Soil tests provide farmers with information about the nutrient needs of the soil on their agricultural plots and can help farmers apply the optimal amount and type of fertilizer. Too little fertilizer can stunt plant growth and degrade the quality of soil. Conversely, too much fertilizer can become...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Ambler, Kate, Bloem, Jeffrey R., McNamara, Brian
Formato: Brief
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: International Food Policy Research Institute 2025
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/178964
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author Ambler, Kate
Bloem, Jeffrey R.
McNamara, Brian
author_browse Ambler, Kate
Bloem, Jeffrey R.
McNamara, Brian
author_facet Ambler, Kate
Bloem, Jeffrey R.
McNamara, Brian
author_sort Ambler, Kate
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Soil tests provide farmers with information about the nutrient needs of the soil on their agricultural plots and can help farmers apply the optimal amount and type of fertilizer. Too little fertilizer can stunt plant growth and degrade the quality of soil. Conversely, too much fertilizer can become toxic to plants and generate environmental damage via chemicals leaching into nearby water sources or dissipating into the atmosphere. Applying the wrong type of fertilizer will fail to meet the nutrient needs of crops. Plot-specific soil tests are needed because soil characteristics vary, even within local geographies. For this reason, several studies find that blanket recommendations and untargeted fertilizer subsidies are largely ineffective at meeting soil nutrient needs and improving yields.
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spelling CGSpace1789642026-01-23T02:14:38Z Soil testing Ambler, Kate Bloem, Jeffrey R. McNamara, Brian soil quality soil analysis costs return on investment Soil tests provide farmers with information about the nutrient needs of the soil on their agricultural plots and can help farmers apply the optimal amount and type of fertilizer. Too little fertilizer can stunt plant growth and degrade the quality of soil. Conversely, too much fertilizer can become toxic to plants and generate environmental damage via chemicals leaching into nearby water sources or dissipating into the atmosphere. Applying the wrong type of fertilizer will fail to meet the nutrient needs of crops. Plot-specific soil tests are needed because soil characteristics vary, even within local geographies. For this reason, several studies find that blanket recommendations and untargeted fertilizer subsidies are largely ineffective at meeting soil nutrient needs and improving yields. 2025-12-17 2025-12-17T21:23:07Z 2025-12-17T21:23:07Z Brief https://hdl.handle.net/10568/178964 en https://hdl.handle.net/10568/178966 https://hdl.handle.net/10568/178965 Open Access application/pdf International Food Policy Research Institute Ambler, Kate; Bloem, Jeffrey R.; and McNamara, Brian. 2025. Soil testing. Climate Finance Brief 1. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/178964
spellingShingle soil quality
soil analysis
costs
return on investment
Ambler, Kate
Bloem, Jeffrey R.
McNamara, Brian
Soil testing
title Soil testing
title_full Soil testing
title_fullStr Soil testing
title_full_unstemmed Soil testing
title_short Soil testing
title_sort soil testing
topic soil quality
soil analysis
costs
return on investment
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/178964
work_keys_str_mv AT amblerkate soiltesting
AT bloemjeffreyr soiltesting
AT mcnamarabrian soiltesting