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National Agro Foundation
A laboratory technician operating an extraction and digestion unit

Laboratory Services: Soil & water

Soil and water testing laboratory in Chennai.

The National Agro Foundation's Laboratory Services Division is accredited by NABL to ISO/IEC 17025:2017 for soil and water testing: soil-health diagnostics and irrigation-water suitability analysis for farmers, FPOs, institutions, researchers and industry.

What we test

Soil can look healthy and still be short of what a crop needs.

Nutrient status, salinity, acidity and micronutrient availability cannot be judged by eye. Nor can the salts in irrigation water that quietly degrade a field over seasons.

Gloved hands shaking a steel sieve, fine soil falling onto paper below

Healthy soil and good-quality water are the foundation of successful and sustainable agriculture. Regular testing helps farmers and other stakeholders understand the actual quality and suitability of these resources, and make informed management decisions.

Soil testing

Soil testing gives a scientific assessment of fertility and health: major, secondary and micronutrients, along with the relevant physico-chemical parameters.

Tested for

  • Major nutrients
  • Secondary nutrients
  • Micronutrients
  • Physico-chemical parameters for fertility assessment
  • Salinity and acidity

Why test your soil?

  • Identify nutrient deficiencies and excesses
  • Develop balanced, soil-test-based fertilizer recommendations
  • Avoid unnecessary or excessive application of chemical fertilizers
  • Improve nutrient-use efficiency and crop productivity
  • Maintain and improve long-term soil health
  • Reduce input costs through appropriate nutrient management
  • Minimize the risk of soil and environmental degradation
  • Support sustainable and climate-resilient agricultural practices

NAF's Soil Testing Laboratory provides comprehensive soil-health diagnostic services, analysing major, secondary and micronutrients and the relevant soil parameters for fertility assessment.

Irrigation-water testing

Water quality directly influences soil properties and crop performance. Testing establishes whether water is suitable for agricultural use, and identifies potential risks from salinity, sodicity and specific ions.

Tested for

  • Suitability for irrigation
  • Salinity
  • Sodicity
  • Specific ions
  • Excess salts and potentially harmful constituents

Why test irrigation water?

  • Assess the suitability of water for irrigation
  • Identify excessive salts and potentially harmful constituents
  • Prevent gradual deterioration of soil quality
  • Support appropriate irrigation and soil-management practices
  • Protect crop productivity and long-term agricultural sustainability

NAF provides irrigation-water suitability analysis as part of its laboratory analytical services.

The same NABL accreditation covers food and organic fertilizer testing. Food Lab

Who it is for

Anyone whose decision depends on a soil or water result.

The Laboratory Services Division supports the analytical requirements of everyone on this list with quality-assured testing.

  • Farmers

    Balanced, soil-test-based fertilizer recommendations

  • Farmer Producer Organisations

    Testing for member farmers

  • Agricultural institutions

    Quality-assured analytical support

  • Researchers and students

    Research in soil health and environmental management

  • Industry

    Soil and water analysis to an accredited standard

  • Project organisations

    Evidence for soil and water management decisions

How to send a sample

Four steps from field to report.

Get in touch first: the lab will tell you how to take the sample, what it costs and when to expect the result.

  1. 1

    Contact the lab

    Call or email the Laboratory Services Division with what you need tested: soil, irrigation water, or both.

  2. 2

    Collect the sample

    Take the sample the way the lab advises, so the result represents your field or water source.

  3. 3

    Send or bring it in

    Deliver the sample to the laboratory in Taramani, Chennai, at the address below.

  4. 4

    Receive your report

    Results come from an ISO/IEC 17025:2017 accredited lab, and the team can help you read them into fertilizer and irrigation decisions.

Where to find the lab

Laboratory Services Division, National Agro Foundation

NAF Research & Development CentreAnna University Taramani Campus, CSIR Road, Taramani,Chennai - 600 113, Tamil Nadu, India.

Open in Google Maps
Call the lab
044 22542598044 22542803
Email the lab
labservices@nationalagro.org
Before you send a sample
Ask the lab about fees, turnaround and sampling before you send a sample.

Request a test

Test today, manage better tomorrow.

Don't guess the condition of your soil or water. Test it, understand it and manage it scientifically.

Whether you are a farmer, an FPO, an agricultural institution, a researcher, an industry, a student or a project organisation, the Laboratory Services Division can support your analytical requirements with quality-assured testing services. Get in touch for sample submission, testing requirements and further enquiries.

Request a soil or water test

Reliable testing. Scientific analysis. Sustainable solutions.

Call
2254259822542803
Email
labservices@nationalagro.org