Deltares and NMI-agro developed a do-it-yourself protocol for indicative measurements of mineral nitrogen (Nmin) contents in soil using the Nitrate App. See the visual user guide for more details.
The following materials are required:
- Kitchen scale
- Non-recycled toilet paper
- Standard 450 ml Dopper drinking bottle (see dopper.com)
- Smartphone with the Deltares Nitrate App from the Google App Store (for Android) or the App Store (iOS)
- Jar of nitrate test strips from Hach
- Nitrate App reference card
- Other: pen, paper, teaspoon, nitrate-free water
Steps for taking a soil Nmin measurement
- Take a soil sample
- Add 340 ml or 340 g water to the Dopper bottle (until the start of the taper)
- Tare the scale (set it to zero), add soil until the screw thread, write down the weight of the added soil
- Close the Dopper bottle and shake firmly for 1 minute
- Stick a folded piece of toilet paper 0.5 cm into the sample to extract clear water
- Squeeze a drop of clear water out of the toilet paper on the upper reaction surface of a Hach Nitrate test strip
- Give the test strip a fingerflick to remove excess water and put it on the reference card
- Use the Nitrate app to scan the card 60s after adding the water drop
- Select the category 'Soil Nmin', add the depth and weight (step 3) of the soil sample, and send the result
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