The fertilizer applied through irrigation water in drip under polythene mulched raised bed of vegetable crops. The dripper spaced at 40 cm apart in each raised bed covered with polythen mulch. Fertigation applied on weekly basis to vegetable crops. What is the standard soil sampling methodology for the estimation of nutrient availability in soil and time of sampling ?
Good suggestions have been given by our learned colleagues. I think these will be highly useful for the scientist bringing a question on Researchgate which is of practical importance for many research workers.
I am not aware of a "standard" methodology for soil sampling in this situation. However, I would recommend the use of solution samplers (see picture and link below). These allow extraction of soil water solution from various depths, and could be installed under the polythene mulch, allowing sampling without disturbing the mulch.
We have used solution samplers to monitor soil salinity and nutrient levels under Almonds over the course of a season and a half, and identify treatments and times of the year when excess nutrient application resulted in elevated electrical conductivity (salinity). Please see the two papers relating to this work below.
http://www.sentek.com.au/products/ancillary.asp
Technical Report Timing Nutrient Inputs for Best Effect
Technical Report Balancing Nutrient Input and Output: CT Trial Results
Dear Naik ji
please check the following link
http://www.agriculturejournals.cz/publicFiles/147137.pdf
http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0154799
http://content.ces.ncsu.edu/using-plastic-mulches-and-drip-irrigation-for-vegetables
Soil sampling should be done in fall season. For details see following link that how to take samples in drip layout.
https://apps1.cdfa.ca.gov/FertilizerResearch/docs/Soil_Sampling_Orchards.pdf
Thanks to all the experts for providing answer to the above query
Good suggestions have been given by our learned colleagues. I think these will be highly useful for the scientist bringing a question on Researchgate which is of practical importance for many research workers.
I agree with Dr Nazir . Sushanta has picked up a very genuine question .In annual crops , one can take soil samples following the harvesting of the crop , as we do in conventional studies. But, the bigger question is , what shall be the place of sampling along dipline. Shall we take soils samples below the drippers , or shall we take soil samples between drippers , or take soil samples from both sites and mix them well to represent the whole drip line, called rhizophere under drip irrigation . But , if we want to evaluate the crop response at different crop stages , and we follow the drip fertigation at weekly interval , what shall be the time of soil sampling in that case..?
While in perennials , the time of soil sampling has to commensurate with the maturity of leaves , means index leaf sampling .
I invite our colleagues to let us have an indepth discussion on the procedural steps involved with soil sampling for soil fertility evaluation under drip irrigation/fertigation.
All the soil scientists, please react to the above valid practical problem.
It is better to sample the soil in the midway between the drippers and outer edge of the polythene mulch so as to accommodate in the wetting zone. At the periphery of the wetting zone the concentration of nutrients will be more due to overlapping of two wetting zone of nearby drippers. Please comment on this
No , i do not think like this . For the simple reason , wherever drippers are placed , there will be much higher concentration of feeder roots compared to either periphery of wetting zone or within the periphery adjoining the two wetting zones . In none of the cases , it will be give the correct picture of soil fertility . This is the major limitation in soil fertility evaluation for crops under exclusive drip irrigation . So to have a compromise between teh two contrasting situations , best course would be to take the soil samples from within the wetting zone( not periphery of wetting zone) of plant perimeter , since it is supposed to be the epicentre of soil fertility in a concept of drip irrigation .
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