History of agrochemical soil testing in forest nursery practice

The paper gives a basic information on the development of organization of professional service for forest tree nursery practice in the sector of agrochemical soil controlling and fertilization planning during the 20^th century. In the former time (from 1931 till 1990), the control over agrochemical soil quality condition in Czech forest nurseries was organized in forest research institutes. Taking of the soil samples in nurseries (directly by nursery workers) was realized in accordance with the methodical instruction from Forest and Game Management Research Institute (FGMRI) Jiloviste-Strnady. The soil samples were sent to the FGMRI soil laboratory for physical and chemical examination. The practical nursery workers obtained the results of soil analyses and the soil management plan from the FGMRI laboratory. At present (1991 - 2000), there are many commercial firms (as a rule the transformed agricultural laboratories) for agricultural and forest soil testing inclusive specialized firms for agrochemical soil controlling in forest nursery practice in the Czech Republic.

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