Experts develop new soil testing gear for developing countries

Washington: Scientists from the University of Maryland and Columbia University have designed a new soil testing kit for the benefit of the farmers in developing countries.

According to www.soils.org, the new gear, called SoilDoc, could have major impact in improving crop yields due to poor soils.

The kit includes battery-operated instruments and safe materials, which can test for the availability of nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur, and potassium, as well as active organic matter, and certain soil physical limitations, for agricultural extension agents to handle in the field.
The raw results of the tests are sent by mobile to a central website and then recommendations are delivered back to the extension agent based on the calculations.