List of the standard soil testing methods used by the Agricultural Analytical Services Lab.
| Analyte | Method | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| pH | Water | Eckert, D. and J.T. Sims. 2011. Recommended Soil pH and Lime Requirement Tests. p. 19-25. In J.T. Sims and A. Wolf (eds.) Recommended Soil Testing Procedures for the Northeastern United States. Northeast Regional Bulletin #493. 3rd edition. Agricultural Experiment Station, University of Delaware, Newark, DE. |
| Lime requirement | Mehlich buffer | Mehlich, A. 1976. New buffer pH method for rapid estimation of exchangeable acidity and lime requirement of soils. Commun. Soil Sci. Plant Analysis. 7, 637-652. |
| Extractable P, K, Ca and Mg | Mehlich 3 (ICP) | Wolf, A.M. and D.B. Beegle. 2011. Recommended soil tests for macronutrients. p. 39-47. In J.T. Sims and A. Wolf (eds.) Recommended Soil Testing Procedures for the Northeastern United States. Northeast Regional Bulletin #493. 3rd edition. Agricultural Experiment Station, University of Delaware, Newark, DE. |
| Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC) | Summation | Ross, D. and Q. Ketterings. 2011. Recommended soil tests for determining soil cation exchange capacity. p. 75-86. In J.T. Sims and A. Wolf (eds.) Recommended Soil Testing Procedures for the Northeastern United States. Northeast Regional Bulletin #493. 3rd edition. Agricultural Experiment Station, University of Delaware, Newark, DE. |
| Organic matter | Loss on Ignition | Schulte, E.E. and B. Hoskins. 2011. Recommended Soil Organic Matter Tests. p. 63-74. In J.T. Sims and A. Wolf (eds.) Recommended Soil Testing Procedures for the Northeastern United States. Northeast Regional Bulletin #493. 3rd edition. Agricultural Experiment Station, University of Delaware, Newark, DE. |
| Total C | Combustion | Nelson, D.W. and L.E. Sommers. 1996. Total Carbon, Organic Carbon, and Organic Matter. p 961-1010. In D.L. Sparks (ed). Methods of Soil Analysis, Part 3. Chemical Methods. Soil Science Society of America Book Series Number 5. American Society of Agronomy, Madison, WI. Pella, E. 1990. Elemental organic analysis. Part 1. Am. Lab 22: 116-125 |
| Nitrate N | Cadmium reduction method | Griffin, G., W. Jokela, D. Ross, D. Pettrinelli, T. Morris, and A. Wolf. 2011. Recommended Soil Nitrate-N Tests. p. 27-38. In J.T. Sims and A. Wolf (eds.) Recommended Soil Testing Procedures for the Northeastern United States. Northeast Regional Bulletin #493. 3rd edition. Agricultural Experiment Station, University of Delaware, Newark, DE. |
| Ammonium N | Diffusion conductivity | Gavlak, R., D. Horneck, R. Miller. 2005. Soil Ammonium Nitrogen. p. 65-66. In Soil, Plant and Water Reference Methods for the Western Region, 3rd Edition. Western Region Extension Publication, WREP-125 |
| Total N | Combustion | Bremner, J.M.. 1996. Nitrogen-Total. p. 1085-1121. In D.L. Sparks (ed). Methods of Soil Analysis, Part 3. Chemical Methods. Soil Science Society of America Book Series Number 5. American Society of Agronomy, Madison, WI. Pella, E. 1990. Elemental organic analysis. Part 1. Am. Lab 22: 116-125 |
| Soluble Salts | Electrical Conductivity (1:2) | Gartley, K. 2011. Recommended Soluble Salts Tests. p. 87-94. In J.T. Sims and A. Wolf (eds.) Recommended Soil Testing Procedures for the Northeastern United States. Northeast Regional Bulletin #493. 3rd edition. Agricultural Experiment Station, University of Delaware, Newark, DE. |
| Total Sorbed Cu, Zn, Pb, Ni, Cd, Cr, Mo | EPA Method 3050B/3051 + 6010 | USEPA. 1986. Test Methods for Evaluating Solid Waste. Volume IA: 3rd Edition. EPA/SW-846. National Technical Information Service. Springfield, Va. |
| Particle Size Analysis | Hydrometer Method | Gee, G.W. and J.W. Bauder. 1986. Particle size analysis. p. 383-411. In A. Klute (ed.) Methods of Soil Analysis. Part 1. Physical and Mineralogical Methods. Agronomy Monograph #9 (2nd Edition). Amer. Soc. Agron. Madison, WI. |
| As | EPA Method 3050B/3051 + 6010 | USEPA. 1986. Test Methods for Evaluating Solid Waste. Volume IA: 3rd Edition. EPA/SW-846. National Technical Information Service. Springfield, Va. |
| Se | EPA Method 3050B/3051 + 6010 | USEPA. 1986. Test Methods for Evaluating Solid Waste. Volume IA: 3rd Edition. EPA/SW-846. National Technical Information Service. Springfield, Va. |
| Hg | EPA Method 7473 | USEPA. 1986. Test Methods for Evaluating Solid Waste. Volume IA: 3rd Edition. EPA/SW-846. National Technical Information Service. Springfield, Va. |
| Calcium carbonate equivalency (CCE) | ASTM Method C 25 | Standard Test Methods for Chemical Analysis of Limestone, Quicklime, and Hydrated Lime, ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, PO Box C700, West Conshohocken, PA |
Ag Analytical Services Lab
Hours: Monday-Friday, 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
- Email aaslab@psu.edu
- Office 814-863-0841
- Fax 814-863-4540
Ag Analytical Services Lab
Hours: Monday-Friday, 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
- Email aaslab@psu.edu
- Office 814-863-0841
- Fax 814-863-4540
