• Soil Health Card is a scheme launched by the Government of India in February 2015.
• Soil Health card (SHC) is a printed report card issued to farmers once in three years indicating the status of his soil in terms of 12 parameters.
• It is also accompanied by an advice on the various fertilizers and other soil amendments he is suppose to make.
• SHC is field-specific detailed report of soil fertility status and other important soil parameters that affect crop productivity.
Details in a Soil Health Card
Details in a Soil Health Card includes-
o Information regarding Soil Fertility
o Dosage of fertilizer application in crops.
o Information on soil amendments of saline or alkaline soil; and
o Recommendation on integrated nutrient management.
Parameters tested in Soil Health Card
The 12 parameters tested are:
I . Physical parameters
• pH (Soil Reaction; acidity / alkalinity of the soil)
• Electrical Conductivity (EC)
• Organic Carbon (OC)
II . Macro Nutrients
• Nitrogen
• Phosphorous
• Potash
III . Secondary Nutrients
• Sulphur
IV . Micro-nutrients
• Zinc
• Ferrous
• Manganese
• Copper
• Boron
Colour codes – test results
The Test Results are shown with colour codes for ease of understanding.
Green= Sufficient (General Recommendation Dose (-) 30%)
Yellow= Moderate (General Recommendation Dose)
Red = deficient (General Recommendation Dose (+) 30%)
Violet = Acidic / Sodic (concentration of sodium or salt indicating salinity) /Alkaline
PRACTICE QUESTIONS
QUES: Consider the following statements : UPSC 2017
The nation-wide ‘Soil Health Card Scheme’ aims at
1 . Expanding the cultivable area under irrigation.
2 . Enabling the banks to assess the quantum of loans to be granted to farmers on the basis of soil quality.
3 . Checking the overuse of fertilizers in farmlands.
Which of the above statements is/are correct?
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 3 only
(c) 2 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
(b)
