Soil and Water Testing
What is it?
Testing involves analyzing a property's soil and water to determe different variables like soil moisture content, levels of pesticide, levels of chemicals, or any other factor that needs to be examined. Analysis of soils will allow the landowner to determine appropriate irrigation schedules and nutrient and chemical application. Monitoring water from adjacent streams and ground water will give indications about the amount of chemicals and nutrients run off so landowners can adjust application rates and amounts.
Conservation Benefits
- Improves efficiency of water use reducing the water needing to be withdrawn from aquifers or streams
- Reduces amount of chemicals entering streams and ground water
What does it include?
Landowners should contact Texas AgriLife Extension Service, Texas NRCS, TCEQ, or Texas Parks and Wildlife to determine how soil/water should be tested and the appropriate testing procedures.
Soil and Water Testing Links
- Interpretation of soil test results (Iowa State University Extension)
- On-farm soil monitoring for water resource protection (Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service)
- Soil test interpretations (New Mexico State University Extension)
- Tests for drinking water from private wells (Wisconsin Dept of Natural Resources)
Soil and Water Testing Bibliography
- Wu and Babcock. 1998. The choice of tillage, rotation, and soil testing practices: economic and environmental implications. American Journal of Agricultural Economics 80: 494-511.