ABSTRACT
This chapter covers the main soil chemical analyses used in consultancy work, with the exception of soil salinity and sodicity, which are discussed in Chapter 8. The content is restricted to an outline of the methodology and a general interpretation of results for most tropical or subtropical conditions. Crop-specific information is summarised in Annex F, and references to individual measurements are given in the text where appropriate. Further descriptions of laboratory methods are given in standard texts, which include Hesse (1971), Black (1965), Dewis and Freitas (1970) and Jackson (1958). Aspects related to developing countries are discussed in FAO (1980a), and soil laboratory design and equipment are covered in Ferguson (1973), Golden et al (1966) and Cottenie (1980). A general text on soil and plant analysis is provided by Walsh and Beaton (1973), whilst soil field testing kits are compared by McCoy and Donohue (1979). Tomlinson et al (1977) discuss laboratory schedules and simplified procedures for rapid routine testing. Some indicative costs and sample weights are summarised in Annex A, page 198.
