Story in Brief
Soil testing laboratories like the UGA Soil Testing Lab receive thousands of soil samples every year from farmers, researchers, students, gardeners and the public. These samples are analyzed for their nutrient contents and data are used to determine appropriate fertilizer and management practices to maximize crop yields. As the analysis requires a fast-turn-around time, one of the challenges that soil testing laboratories face is the quality of results. Standard quality control procedures create the foundation of the quality assurance program. The University of Georgia Agricultural and Environmental Services Laboratories (AESL) has a defined system of quality assurance (QA) practices and operational policies essential for ensuring that data generated from analysis are accurate and defensible. To strengthen the laboratory's QA program, a computer model was developed and employed as part of the laboratory's daily soil analysis with several layers of routine operational performance checked and evaluated before data are reported. The model, Mehlich-pH Model, helps ensure that soil sets are run in the correct order, and it helps ensure that each instrument is functioning properly.