Everglades Research And Education Center Set To Take Wraps Off Updated Soil Testing Lab
October 8, 2015 It’s been more than 15 years since the University of Florida Everglades Research and Education Center last updated its soil laboratory. The Belle Glade-based facility is now ready to unveil a new expansion and much-needed improvements to its lab.
An open house of the updated facility is scheduled for Thursday, October 22 at 3 p.m.
A second soil drying room has been added, which doubles their capacity to air-dry soil samples in ventilated drying cabinets at 90°F to 100°F. In addition, there is new instrumentation for some of the analysis, which improves processing time. Researchers look for levels of pH, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and silicon in soil extracts. The analyses are a valuable complement to implementation of best management practices. For two decades running, water flowing from farmland in the Everglades Agricultural Area achieved phosphorus reductions that significantly exceed those required by law.
The lab began running soil tests in 1938 and has analyzed as many as 8,000 to 10,000 soil samples every year. These additions and improvements could at least double that.
The lab has several packages of soil analyses, which clients choose from depending on the crop they are planting and their specific needs. These packages range in price from $9 to $18 per sample.
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