Air dry moisture content (2A1)
This method is required to adjust soil chemical results based on air-dry samples to an oven-dry (105oC)
basis. When the air-dry moisture content (M%) is known, the correction from air-dry
to oven-dry is as follows:
Oven-dry result = [Air-dry result x (100+ M%)]/100
Bray 1 - P (9E1)
This extractable P test on milled air-dry sample uses a weakly acidic fluoride containing extractant (0.025M HCl and 0.03M NH4F). The soil/extractant ratio of 1:7 and a very short extraction time of 60 sec, making it prone to significant variability. It is used to predict yield responses in legumne-based pastures on acid to neutral soils in NSW, but not really used elsewhere. Method 9E1 involves a manual, molybdenum-blue colorimetric finish with a preferred absorbance at 882 nm.
Electrical conductivity (EC) of 1:5 soil/water extract (3A1)
This test on milled air-dry sample at a soil/water ratio of 1:5 for 1 h is suitable for use on all soils, irrespective of whether acidic or alkaline. It usually underestimates the soluble salt status of soils containing natural or added gypsum, particularly if ³ 1% of gypsum is present. Such soils would have an EC of about 2 dS/m. Soil EC x 0.336 (Method 3B1) approximates percent total soluble salts, while approximate soil ionic strength (Method 3C1) at 0.1 bar (I0.1) can be calculated as follows: I0.1 = [0.0446*EC1:5 – 0.000173], where I0.1 has units of mM, and EC1:5 has units of dS/m @ 25oC.
Exchangeable Bases - Ammonium Chloride (15A1)
Method for measuring exchangeable bases (Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, K+) - 1M ammonium chloride at pH 7.0
Suited for use on all soils, irrespective of whether acidic or alkaline, but preferred on acidic to weakly alkaline soils not dominated by solid-phase carbonates. Method 15A1 has no pre-treatment to remove soluble salts, with alternatives to remove them chemically (15A2) or to adjust for the presence of soluble sodium (15A3).
pH of 1:5 soil/water suspension (4A1)
This test on milled air-dry sample involves mechanical shaking with deionised water in a closed system for 1 h at a soil/water ratio of 1:5 prior to pH measurement using calibrated electrodes, while stirring the soil/water suspension. The method is suitable for use on all soils, irrespective of whether acidic or alkaline. Values may be lower than expected on recently fertilised soils due to a temporary increase in soil solution ionic strength.Total soil N – Dumas high-temperature combustion (7A5)
This method utilises automated and/or microprocessor controlled instrumentation, which mostly is able to measure at least total C, N and S in the same sample. Dumas-N dry oxidation includes all forms of soil N, without the need for lengthy pre-treatments, although results can occasionally differ from those expected in soils with high levels of fixed ammonium-N (lower results) and when soils are organically rich (high results, due to incomplete combustion resulting in the formation of methane rather than CO2). Typically, dry, finely-ground sample is subjected to high-temperature combustion (e.g. 950–1,250oC) in a stream of purified O2. An aliquot of the gases produced by combustion is carried by helium gas to a thermal conductivity cell for measurement of any N2 generated, a process typically taking 3–5 min. A heated copper catalyst reduces NOx to N2. The method specifies reporting results as %N on an oven-dry (105oC) basis.Soil organic matter by loss-on-ignition (6G1)
This simple test involves the ignition of finely-milled air-dry sample initially to 105oC and then to 550oC. One hundred times the difference in sample weight in grams between these two temperatures, i.e, [100(Weight105C – Weight550C)] = Loss on ignition550C (LOI550C), which is assumed to approximate % Organic Matter.Not Specified or mixed (NS)
The laboratory either did not specify the method used or uses a mix of methods when submitting to the certification body