How to test your soil
To see if your land is affected by salt, a few steps need to be taken, such as testing your soil. Special equipment is needed for this, which you may not have at your disposal. We therefore suggest getting in touch with a nearby farmers’ cooperative, who may have access to the necessary equipment.
What steps do you need to take to see if the methods of saline agriculture would work on your land?
Get started, follow the steps below:
Step 1. How to take soil samples Step 2. How to measure if this soil is affected by salt Step 3. Which crops could you grow? Step 4. Provide more information about your environmentQuick access to the protocols and information page:
» a. Guide for taking soil sample » b. Guide for measuring salinity in the soilStep 1: How to take soil samples
Required items:
♦ ‘Tool(s)’ to take a soil sample (eg. Hand trowel, spade, etc)
♦ Test tube or measuring cup
♦ EC meter (An EC meter can be obtained at the following places: Through us for 8 Euros/10 USD (send us an email) / Water equipment or farm supplies shops)
How to take soil samples
In this video, you will see how to take soil samples. This is the first step in the process to see if your land is affected by salt and if saline agriculture would be your solution.
Video:
You can download the step by step instruction by clicking the link below.
Step 2: How to measure salinity in the soil samples
Now you have collected your soil samples, we need to see if they are affected by salt.
In this video you can see how salinity is measured, using the so-called ‘1:2 method’.
Note: you need an EC meter to be able to follow step 2.
You can download our step by step instruction to perform the test through the below link for an easy reference.
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Step 3: Which crops could you grow?
If the results of step 1 and 2 show you have a salinity problem, we need to determine which crops can be grown on your soil. This depends on the exact salinity level.
If you have not performed the steps to sample and measure soil for salinity, please click here.
The following table provides a general classification of different crops and their suitability for saline agriculture. Keep in mind that of many crops there are salt tolerant varieties. Even under strongly saline conditions yields of for example 75% of the maximum yield are still achievable.
1:2 Method
| Value (dS/m) | Salinity | Crops and varieties |
| < 1 | Low | All crops can be grown |
| 1-3 | Moderate | Many common crops such as potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, cabbages, olives, sugar cane, millet. |
| > 3 | High | Crops with an above average salinity tolerance, such as sugar beet, cotton, barley, quinoa and halophytes. |
If you have used our alternative method - "Saturated paste method" to test the soil, please click on read more.
Conclusion of the test
Thank you for taking the first step towards Saline agriculture. In the following steps, you can fill in your personal details and answer some questions related to your environment so that we could help you better.
Step 4: Fill in personal details
Fields with * are mandatory.
Step 4: More questions
Fields with * are mandatory.
4c. Questionnaire successfully submitted
Thank you for sending us the questionnaire. Our team will look into your submission and contact you to see if saline agriculture works for you, and how we can further assist you.
Additionally, you can also reach out to us through our email - info@saltfarmfoundation.com.