<p>The &quot;Soil, Plant and Water Testing&quot; appears to be a comprehensive guide that covers various analytical procedures for assessing soil health, plant physiology, and water quality.</p> <p>The key sections are as follows:</p> <p><strong>Soil Testing</strong></p> <ul> <li>Analyzes physical and chemical properties such as texture, pH, electrical conductivity, organic carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, moisture content, cation exchange capacity, salinity, sodicity, organic matter, bulk density, permeability, and microbial activity.</li> <li>These tests help determine soil fertility, structure, and suitability for crop production.</li> </ul> <p><strong>Plant Testing</strong></p> <ul> <li>Focuses on physiological and biochemical assessments like chlorophyll content, root and shoot length, carbohydrate levels, nutrient content (N, P, K), phyto-chemicals, water use efficiency, leaf area, photosynthesis rate, disease diagnosis, and stress evaluation.</li> <li>These tests are crucial for understanding plant health and nutrient status.</li> </ul> <p><strong>Water Testing</strong></p> <ul> <li>Includes tests for nitrogen compounds, phosphates, BOD, COD, microbial contamination, pH, electrical conductivity, dissolved oxygen, total dissolved solids, nutrients, hardness, chlorides, and heavy metals.</li> <li>These assessments are vital for environmental monitoring, water treatment, and ensuring water safety.</li> </ul>

Professor (Dr.) A. Zaman, Ph D in Agronomy, the esteemed author of this book, is an internationally recognized scientist with 40 years of profound experience in agricultural water management. His ground-breaking and original research in fields such as irrigation water management, rainfed agriculture, cropping systems, watershed management, dry land agriculture, and biodiversity conservation has garnered global appreciation and established him as an outstanding teacher within farm universities worldwide. Dr. Zaman is credited with developing a wealth of original concepts, strategies, techniques, and tools that have profoundly contributed to agricultural science and benefited global society.

Born May 27, 1954, is a distinguished Agronomist specializing in Agricultural Water Management for enhancing crop and water productivity. His extensive career spans influential leadership roles at Bidhan Chandra Krishi Vishwavidyalaya (BCKV) and Uttar Banga Krishi Vishwavidyalaya (UBKV) in West Bengal, India. He has notably served as Dean, Faculty of Agriculture; Director of Research; Head of the Department of Agronomy; and Chief Scientist in AICRP on Water Management (ICAR). With significant research experience in water management, a background in post-graduate teaching, and considerable administrative acumen, 

Since May 2020, Prof. Zaman has served as the Dean of the School of Agricultural Sciences at Sister Nivedita University, Kolkata. His extensive professional journey includes pivotal roles as Founder In-charge of Agriculture at The Neotia University (June 2018 to 2020), Emeritus Professor in Agriculture at M.S. Swaminathan School of Agriculture, Centurion University of Technology and Management (September 2016 – May 2018), and Programme Coordinator for the World Bank-funded West Bengal Accelerated Development of Minor Irrigation Project (September 2014 – August 2016).

Prior to these roles, Dr. Zaman gained invaluable international experience as Head of the Irrigation Expatriate Team for the Government of Uganda (1994-1996) under an ITEC Programme. In this capacity, he was instrumental in designing, laying out, and installing farmer-managed small-scale irrigation systems for sustainable crop cultivation. His vast academic contributions include authorship of 10 textbooks in agriculture, several book chapters, over 150 peer-reviewed research papers, and 179 publications in national and international seminar and conference proceedings. Furthermore, he has significantly shaped future researchers, having guided 7 Ph.D. candidates and supervised over 50 postgraduate thesis works.

Dr. Md. Hedayetullah, Ph.D., born on 30th April 1982, is a respected expert in agricultural science and the co-author of this book.  He is currently an Assistant Professor/Scientist (Department of Agronomy) and Officer-In-Charge of the ICAR’s All India Coordinated Research Project on Chickpea at Bidhan Chandra Krishi Vishwavidyalaya (BCKV), Mohanpur, West Bengal.

Dr. Hedayetullah holds a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture (Hons.) from H.N.B. Garhwal University, Uttarakhand, and a Master of Science in Agronomy from Palli Siksha Bhavana, Institute of Agriculture, Visva Bharati University, Sriniketan, West Bengal. He earned his Ph.D. in Agronomy from Bidhan Chandra Krishi Vishwavidyalaya, Mohanpur, West Bengal. He was a recipient of the prestigious Maulana Azad National Fellowship awarded by the University Grants Commission (UGC), New Delhi, and received multiple fellowships from various funding agencies to support his research throughout his academic career. He was the recipient of Young Scientist and Eminent Scientist award. Dr. Hedayetullah brings a wealth of practical and academic experience to this foundation course. His background includes roles as Agronomist at NABARD and Assistant Professor at the M.S. Swaminathan Institute of Agriculture Science and the College of Agriculture, Tripura, giving him a comprehensive understanding of agricultural challenges and solutions.

A prolific contributor to agricultural literature, Dr. Hedayetullah has authored or co-authored 10 books, 50 research papers, and numerous book chapters, covering a wide array of topics crucial for aspiring agriculturists. He guided 7 students for post- graduate degrees and supervising 4 research students for doctor of philosophy in Agronomy. He has served as Principal Investigator for five ad-hoc projects and as Co-Principal Investigator for several notable initiatives. These include the ICAR-IIPR sponsored project “Creation of Seed Hubs for Increasing Indigenous Production of Pulses in India” and the ICARDA-supported project “Enhancing Pulses Production for Food and Nutritional Security, Improved Livelihoods, and Sustainable Agriculture in West Bengal,” both ongoing at Bidhan Chandra Krishi Vishwavidyalaya, Mohanpur, since 2017. His involvement as Principal Investigator in various research. His expertise makes him an ideal guide for students embarking on their agricultural journey.

<p><strong>Soil Testing&nbsp;</strong><br /> <strong>Chapter 1</strong>.Texture Analysis of Soil<br /> <strong>Chapter 2</strong>.Determination of Soil pH&nbsp;<br /> <strong>Chapter 3</strong>.Electrical Conductivity (EC) of Soils<br /> <strong>Chapter 4</strong>.Determination of Organic Carbon Matters of Soils<br /> <strong>Chapter 5</strong>.Determination of Available Nitrogen in Soil<br /> <strong>Chapter 6</strong>.Determination of Available Phosphorus in Soil<br /> <strong>Chapter 7</strong>.Determination of Available Potassium in Soils<br /> <strong>Chapter 8</strong>.Determination of Soil Hydraulic Conductivity in Soils<br /> <strong>Chapter 9</strong>.Determination of Moisture Content in Soils<br /> <strong>Chapter 10</strong>.Determination of Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC) in Soils<br /> <strong>Chapter 11</strong>.Soil Salinity and Sodicity with Soil Tests<br /> <strong>Chapter 12</strong>.Soil Organic Matter Estimation<br /> <strong>Chapter 13</strong>.Soil Moisture Content Determination<br /> <strong>Chapter 14</strong>.Soil Bulk Density Measurement<br /> <strong>Chapter 15</strong>.Soil Permeability Test<br /> <strong>Chapter 16</strong>.Soil Microbial Activity Assessment</p> <p><strong>Plant Testing&nbsp;</strong><br /> <strong>Chapter 1</strong>.Chlorophyll Content Determination<br /> <strong>Chapter 2</strong>.Measuring Root and Shoot Length Matters<br /> <strong>Chapter 3</strong>.Total Carbohydrate Estimation<br /> <strong>Chapter 4</strong>.Nitrogen Content in Plant Tissue Matters<br /> <strong>Chapter 5</strong>.Plant Tissue Phosphorus Content Matters<br /> <strong>Chapter 6</strong>.Potassium Content in Plant Tissue<br /> <strong>Chapter 7</strong>.Determining Acid and Alkaline Phyto-chemicals<br /> <strong>Chapter 8</strong>.Assessment of Plant Water Use Efficiency<br /> <strong>Chapter 9</strong>.Plant Tissue Analysis for Nutrients (N, P, K)<br /> <strong>Chapter 10</strong>.Leaf Area Measurement<br /> <strong>Chapter 11</strong>.Plant Water Status Assessment<br /> <strong>Chapter 12</strong>.Plant Growth Parameters Measurement<br /> <strong>Chapter 13</strong>.Photosynthesis Rate Measurement<br /> <strong>Chapter 14</strong>.Photosynthesis Rate Using Infrared Gas Analyzers (IRGA)<br /> <strong>Chapter 15</strong>.Plant Disease Diagnosis<br /> <strong>Chapter 16</strong>.Plant Stress Assessment<br /> <strong>Chapter 17</strong>.Plant-Soil Analysis for Nutrient Deficiency<br /> <strong>Chapter 18</strong>.Seed Germination through Experimentation&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Water Testing&nbsp;</strong><br /> <strong>Chapter 1</strong>.Nitrate Nitrogen in Water<br /> <strong>Chapter 2</strong>.Phosphate Content in Water<br /> <strong>Chapter 3</strong>.Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD)<br /> <strong>Chapter 4</strong>.Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD)<br /> <strong>Chapter 5</strong>.Coliform and E. coli Testing<br /> <strong>Chapter 6</strong>.Water pH Measurement<br /> <strong>Chapter 7</strong>.Water Electrical Conductivity (EC)<br /> <strong>Chapter 8</strong>.Dissolved Oxygen (DO) Analysis<br /> <strong>Chapter 9</strong>.Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) Measurement<br /> <strong>Chapter 10</strong>.Nutrient Analysis in Water (N, P, K)<br /> <strong>Chapter 11</strong>.Water Hardness Test<br /> <strong>Chapter 12</strong>.Bacteriological Testing of Water<br /> <strong>Chapter 13.</strong>Chloride Content Analysis<br /> <strong>Chapter 14</strong>.Heavy Metal Testing in Water</p>