The essentials of soil testing for farm prosperity

Soil testing is a powerful tool for a farm as it determines the inputs required for enhancing quality and yield of the produce. Soil test will ensure application of appropriate and adequate dosage of fertiliser to meet the requirements of the crop while taking advantage of the nutrients already present in the soil. Many nutrients tend to be over-applied resulting in imbalances in the soil and harmful effects on the environment. Soil testing also helps in diagnosing problem areas and provides a complete nutrient management plan.

‘Mahadhan’ brand of fertilisers is in the process of establishing itself as a complete solution provider to farmers through an array of services like Farm Advisory, Diagnostics and Agri-Produce Procurement & Marketing. As a part of this process the Crop Nutrition Business operates a modern Soil, Plant, Water & Fertiliser testing facility which is managed by a team of well qualified, trained and experienced professionals.

This facility is certified with the prestigious ISO/IEC 17025-2005 accredited by the NABL (National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories), New Delhi, an autonomous body under the aegis of the Department of Science & Technology, Government of India, with the prestigious ISO/IEC 17025-2005 Certificate. NABL is the sole accreditation body authorized by the Indian Government to provide lab accreditation services to labs performing tests in accordance with NABL criteria based on the internationally accepted standard ISO/IEC 17025. We have become the first fertiliser company in the country to have an NABL accredited soil testing facility.

Laboratory Accreditation is a scheme for third-party assessment of the quality and technical competence of testing laboratories. Whereas ISO 9000 Certification is on Quality System Management only the NABL Accreditation provides formal recognition of technical competence of the laboratory and is therefore a higher-level activity than system certification. The Accreditation process involves assessment, by an Assessment Team comprising a Lead Assessor and a Technical Assessor appointed by NABL, of the laboratory’s capacity to perform specific tests as defined in the laboratory scope according to standard methods using calibrated glassware, calibrated equipment’s and NIST traceable chemical standards by personnel who are qualified & trained in chemical analysis. The entire gamut of activities is documented to trace the flow of work from the arrival of sample in the lab to the dispatch of test reports. The measurement uncertainty for each test is calculated and an inter-lab study involving at least five other accredited/ reputed labs carried out to validate the same using statistical methods. It took about a year & half for Deepak to get this coveted accreditation. With this accreditation, customers/farmers can look forward to getting reliable and accurate test data from the Deepak lab and make it the lab of choice for all their analytical needs.

The Accreditation enables