AGRICULTURAL
SGS Laboratory Services
Support of better planning and management
prior to and after the planting season
Laboratory analyses can add a lot of worth to your management desicision in the plant
season. SGS NviroCrop's soil laboratory can help with the analyses of water quality, soil
nitrogen, soil life, fertiliser and leaves.
By Cobus Burger
SGS NviroCrop: Business Manager
S
GS NviroCrop's soil laboratory
can help with your management
decisions during and before the
growing season.
coming season.
The sodium index of water used for
irrigation has started to increase and the
impact on the crops planted becomes evi-
dent as the growing season progresses,
when the damage has already been done.
Chlorosis on potatoes due to the high
SERVICES OFFERED BY THE
LABORATORY?
Water analyses
We are all aware that the quality of water
in irrigation schemes is declining to the
extent where it is starting to have a neg-
ative impact on production. By analysing
the quality of water used for irrigation
purposes, better planning can be done in
respect of the management of the detri-
mental impact of poor quality water for the
18
Chlorosis on potatoes due to the high
sodium content of irrigation water.
SENWES SCENARIO | SOMER • SUMMER 2018
sodium content of irrigation water
The above damage can be managed
better with prior planning, by changing fer-
tiliser and irrigation strategies.
The silt content of some of our large
rivers and the content of nutrients such
as nitrate, nitrogen, etcetera are on the
increase. The continuous use of irrigation
water is creating production problems,
which can be addressed in good time. As
silt increases in the top soil, we achieve
more on particularly sandy soil - a point
where top soil silt + clay become higher
than the horizon directly below it. The net
result is:
• Poor water infiltration
• Poor top soil aeration
• A build-up of soil-carried diseases
• Imbalance of nutrients
• Ineffective scheduling of irrigation