1. Soil fertility evaluation and fertilizer recommendation.

2. Reclamation of saline alkali soils.

3. Plantation of garden trees (orchards).

1. Different soil sampling equipments like soil tube auger, screw type auger, post-hole auger, Kassi (spade) and Khurpi are used for taking samples.

2. For sampling of soft and moist soil the tube auger, spade or khurpi can be used satisfactorily. A screw type auger may prove more convenient on hard / dry soil while the post hole auger is useful for sampling wet area like rice fields. Tools for collecting the samples should be free from rust or any foreign material, which may contaminate the samples.

3. A bucket for collecting and mixing the composite sample.

4. Clean, well-labelled bags of size 13 cm X 25 cm for storing the soil sample.

1. Divide the field into area so that each sample represents an area of approximately 1 ha. A sample should be collected separately from areas which differ in soil colour or past management, e.g., liming, manuring, fertilization, cropping pattern etc. During collection of sample, dead furrow, old manures or lime piles, wet spots, area near trees and compost pits should be avoided.

2. Scrap away the surface litter and insert auger or sampling tube to a plough depth (about 15 cm). Take atleast 10 to 15 samples randomly distributed over each area and place them in a clean bucket. A spade or khurpi can be used if auger is not available. In this case, dig a V-shaped hole to a plough depth (0-15 cm) and cut 1.5 cm thick slice of soil from top to bottom of the exposed face of the shaped hole and place in a clean bucket.

3. Thoroughly mix the soil samples taken from 10 to 15 spots from each area in a bucket. By quartering, reduce the bulk and about 500 g of the composite sample is retained. Quartering is done by dividing the thoroughly mixed soil in to four equal parts and discarding two opposite quarters. Remix the remaining two quarters and again divide it into four parts and reject the two. Repeat this procedure until about 500 g of soil left. Put the soil into a clean, numbered cloth bag after air drying in shade at room temperature. Cloth bag should have a slip out side bearing the information about soil sample.

1. In the fields of standing crop, take soil samples from the area between the rows of growing crop plants.

2. Never take sample from the place of old fence, road, dug pit and depression. Areas near irrigation channels and field boundary are also be avoided. If needed take separate sample from such places.

1. Make one side of the pit vertical and put mark on it at 15, 30, 60 and 90 cm depth from the surface.

2. Hold a suitable container at 15 cm mark, and scrap off a uniform slice of soil from the surface down to this mark and collect about 500 g of the soil sample. Transfer the soil sample to a cloth bag and mark it as 0-15 cm.

3. Similarly, collect 500 g soil sample from each layer, i.e., 15-30, 30-60 and 60-90 cm and put them separately in three cloth bags after drying in shade.

4. Take a separate sample of the surface crust also, if any.

5. Prepare two label for each sample showing the depth from which sample has been taken, name of farmer, name of village, exact location of the field and condition / growth of crop if any.

6. Put up one label inside the bag and the other on the bag. Label should be written with a copying pencil.

7. Information sheet may also be prepared if necessary.

8. Send the sample along with information sheet to the nearest soil testing laboratory.

1. Sampling should be done from a uniform piece of land.

2. Each hectare land should be represented by at least 2-3 pits.

3. If there is hard pan in the pit, it should be sampled separately and also note its depth and thickness.

1. Dig a pit of 1.80 meter depth and make its one side vertical. Put mark on it at 15, 30, 60, 90, 120, 150 and 180 cm depth form the surface.

2. Collect samples separately from 0-15, 15-30, 30-60, 60-90, 90-120, 120-150 and 150-180 cm depths in the same way as that of saline alkali soils.

3. In case there is a hard pan in the pit, sample it separately and note down its depth and thickness.

4. Pack the soil samples depth wise in separate cloth bags.

5. Put up label indicating the depth, name of farmer, name of village, location of the field etc.

6. Send the samples to nearest soil testing laboratory, keeping record of the sample with you.

1. Soil samples should be dried only under shade and not in the bright sun or in an oven.

2. All materials used for collection and processing of samples should preferably be made up of stainless, plastic or wood in order to avoid contamination due to undesirable materials.

3. During processing of samples efforts should be made to repeatedly crush and pass the whole of the soil sample through the polyethylene sieve and contamination through carry over form one sample to the other should be avoided.