Chemical analyses of soil, plant material, fertilizer, irrigation water, etc. are a part of basic work in soil Science & Agricultural Chemistry. Analytical reports based on these tests enable the scientist or farmer to determine corrective measures in the field by way of nutrient inputs or improved practices. Needless to say that the methods chosen should be such as would produce sufficiently accurate results and can be employed in the given laboratory environment. Collection and preparation of samples for analysis have to be done as carefully as the actual chemical analysis itself. The analytical procedures pertaining to soil, plant, fertilizer and irrigation water are dealt with under separate chapters. The analytical methods are chosen in such a way that they are applicable under the conditions available in most of our soil science laboratories. Even though the analysis of fruits can be considered as part of plant analysis, the qualities and chemical substances involved are often of special nature. Consequently one chapter is devoted to various analytical procedures for fruit analysis. Analytical methods for oils and fats, fertilizers, manures and oil cakes have been included in this book. Careful planning and proper scheduling with good quality irrigation water is important for increasing agricultural productivity. The parameters that determine the quality of water for irrigation, their analytical procedures and the criteria for classification of irrigation water have been included in this book. Useful data on common fertilizers and manures as also ratings and conversions are to be found in Appendices. Efforts have been made to make the book comprehensive and easy to use. It is hoped that this book would be useful to students, teachers and researchers in agriculture and related disciplines like biochemistry, colloidal chemistry, microbiology, forestry and others.
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