Microlab 600 Soil Analysis Technique for Sample Preparation
Mehlich 3 has been used in the determination of macro and micronutrients in soils and also for the agrochemical testing of agricultural soil in the Czech Republic since 1999. This systematic soil testing is carried out in six-year cycles for the purpose of agrochemical control of available nutrient conditions, soil reaction and liming needs. Agrochemical soil testing is a method of monitoring exchangeable soil reaction, carbon content, liming need and the determination of avail-able phosphorus and potassium. These data where used to create the basic development of fertilizer plans of agricultural crops, monitoring of soil properties and forecasting of fertilizing needs.
The available nutrient content in the soil determined by Mehlich 3 is increased compared to the Mehlich 2 method used before 1999. The phosphorus content is increased by 20%, while potassium and magnesium are increased by 3-4% due to the better displacement of individual elements from the soil sorption complex using the Mehlich 3 method. This data has to be taken into account when comparing results from studies conducted prior to 1999.
Basic soil properties are evaluated separately for arable land, permanent grassland, vineyards, fruit farms and hop gardens. On average about 75,000 soil samples are analyzed annually within Czech National Reference Laboratory (NRL) ÚKZUZ. This means that the Hamilton Advanced Microlab Diluter (p/n ML625-DIL) will perform more than 60,000 dilutions per year in this laboratory.
