Application of Soil and Plant Analysis for Applied Research and Development in West Asia–North Africa: An International Center's Perspective

Abstract

The networks of 15 international research centers around the globe that are sponsored by the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) seeks to alleviate poverty in the developing world through enhanced production, while maintaining biodiversity and the sustainability of natural resources. The mandate of the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) is to focus on improving semi-arid cropping systems in the drought-prone West Asia and North Africa region. Since its inception in 1997, ICARDA's soil laboratory played a pivotal role in backstopping the institution's onstation and on-farm research in Syria and its collaborative research with the region's national programs. This article gives an overview of the evolution of soil and plant analysis in serving the center's mission. A major effort was the regional soil test calibration program, which set the basis for rational use of fertilizers and the identification of related nutrient constraints. Such analyses were extensively employed in all the long-term dryland cropping system trials and later in irrigated agriculture and the interface between plant nutrition and crop breeding. Major emphasis was given to improving and upgrading analytical services in the region's laboratories.

Soil and Plant Analysis Council: A Model for Scientific Innovation, Education, and Development

“…Rayment (2006) examined the possibility of accidental movement of pests and diseases in soil and plant samples, while Cantarella et al (2006) examined variability of soil analysis in commercial laboratories. In the same vein, Ryan and Rashid (2006) looked at analysis in a developing region of the world from the perspective of an international agricultural research center. A thoughtprovoking view of soil analysis from a historical perspective was presented by Sumner (2006) as basis for looking into the future with respect to analysis.…”

“…The co-author has been involved with soil-test standardization (Ryan and Garabet 1994), improving laboratory management (Ryan et al 1999), examining the potential of analysis in the Mediterranean region (Ryan 2000), nutrient surveys (Ryan, Masri, and Garabet 1996) and use of soil analysis in archaeological research (Cimrin et al 2008) and wastewater , examining the function of soil and plant analysis in international agricultural research centers (Ryan et al 2002) and in developing countries (Ryan and Rashid 2006), diagnosing nutrient deficiencies (Rashid, Awan, and Ryan 2005), monitoring nutrient dynamics in long-term rotation trials (Ryan et al 2008), and promoting the concept of soil-test calibration as a basis for rational use of fertilizers (Ryan and Matar 1992).…”

Association of Morphological, Ecological, and Genetic Diversity of Aerva javanica Populations Growing in the Eastern Desert of Egypt

“…Three soil samples were collected from the A. javanica root area (about 50 cm depth) and placed in plastic bags for the physical and chemical analyses. The soil texture was estimated by utilizing the sieve method; the amount of each soil fraction (sand, silt, and clay) was expressed as a percentage of the main weight used [27]. The soil moisture content of the soil samples was estimated as a percentage of oven-dry weight.…”

The impact of foliage fertilization of iron and molybdenum on yield, N uptake and root nodulation of lentil (Lens Culinaris Medic) crop

“…The physio-chemical properties of the soil were tested before sowing according to the standard procedure like soil texture (Koehler et al 1984), pH (Rhoades 1996), lime content (Ryan and Rashid 2006), organic matter (Nelson and Sommers 1996), electrical conductivity (McLean 1982) and soil N (Bremner 1996).…”