1) You are an extension agent working for a large research university. A farmer brings some soil samples to your lab for you to do an assessment of their fertility status. She is concerned about the productivity of her field for growing sorghum as her yields were quite low during the last harvest. You determine that you will complete quick nutrient, pH, and CEC analyses. A) Before working on these methods, the farmer wants to know why these particular parameters were chosen and what they can indicate about soil fertility. B) Following analysis, you determine the following information: a) You have 10 g of soil that you extract in the lab (extract volume 50 mL) using the double wash method with K as the index ion. You find that the soil sample contains 735 mg of K. Assuming no other cations are exchangeable, what is the CEC in cmolc /kg? b) You test the soil pH and determine that it is approximately 5.3. c) Some macronutrients appear to be largely deficient, particularly N. Using this data and calculations, what do you think is happening in this soil? What actions would you recommend for the farmer?

Fundamentals of Geotechnical Engineering (MindTap Course List)
5th Edition
ISBN:9781305635180
Author:Braja M. Das, Nagaratnam Sivakugan
Publisher:Braja M. Das, Nagaratnam Sivakugan
Chapter2: Soil Deposits-origin, Grain-size, And Shape
Section: Chapter Questions
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1) You are an extension agent working for a large research university. A farmer brings some soil samples to your lab for you to do an assessment of their fertility status. She is concerned about the productivity of her field for growing sorghum as her yields were quite low during the last harvest. You determine that you will complete quick nutrient, pH, and CEC analyses. A) Before working on these methods, the farmer wants to know why these particular parameters were chosen and what they can indicate about soil fertility. B) Following analysis, you determine the following information: a) You have 10 g of soil that you extract in the lab (extract volume 50 mL) using the double wash method with K as the index ion. You find that the soil sample contains 735 mg of K. Assuming no other cations are exchangeable, what is the CEC in cmolc /kg? b) You test the soil pH and determine that it is approximately 5.3. c) Some macronutrients appear to be largely deficient, particularly N. Using this data and calculations, what do you think is happening in this soil? What actions would you recommend for the farmer?
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