Farming has been considered the backbone of the country’s economy. To increase food production, modern farming has been a key sector for the government plan. In order to improve crop production, the quality of soil is vital. This is because farmers should grow the right crop in the correct soil PH. Soil testing by different organizations makes it easier to boost the overall production though adding the right manure needed to balance the soil PH. Here are some of the ways soil testing has enhanced small-scale farming in Kenya.
Growing Right Crops in Best Soil PH
A number of farmers haven’t been able to yield the highest from their farms simply because they don’t grow the right crops. Every soil has a given PH, which implies that it can only support certain crops. For example, potatoes do better in acid soil with a PH of 4.8 to 5.5. This implies that when you grow potatoes on a PH level of 2.0 to 3.0, you will definitely yield low outputs. Through soil testing, you will easily balance the PH to get the ideal condition that will suit the potatoes for a high yield.
Ability to Add the Right Amount of Fertilizer to the Farm
When you wish to grow any crop, the addition of fertilizer is essential for fast and healthy growth. However, due to the inability to detect the soil PH, most farmers end up adding more or less fertilizer than required. Through this, you don’t expect the crops to yield much. Through the aid of soil testing, it becomes easier to test the soil PH, which makes it elementary to know how much fertilizer is needed for the crops. The end result of this is higher production. Most farmers have been able to boost their production by about 50% through the addition of the correct fertilizer.
Better Knowledge about Crop Rotation
For the best yields, crop rotation has been identified as a better method for all farmers. A number of small-scale farmers don’t practice crop rotation; hence end up growing the same crop for years on the same farm. Through this, the overall yield of the farm will begin declining. According to a report by The Star Newspaper, soil testing aids farmers to know the crops to grow every season, which is essential for maintaining the fertility of the soil over the years. With this, you will cut the cost of buying fertilizers every season.
These are some of the reasons farmers need to carry out soil testing. Since most small-scale farmers have no idea how to test the soil, it is important to find the ideal soil testing firm.
There are different ways of testing the soil like through the use of scanners. The scanner equipment utilizes infrared and X-ray technology. It is a quick way of testing the soil and results are provided in about ten minutes. Alternatively, farmers can use mobile laboratories and stationery soil testing techniques. After finding the soil PH of your farm, it is easier to grow the required crop and even add an adequate amount of fertilizer to the farm; hence the small-scale farmers are advised to practice soil testing.
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Featured image via www.nation.co.ke
