About
The BMO Soil Analytical Laboratory is a state-of-the-art analytical facility dedicated to the analysis of soil and related environmental samples—providing a wide range of tests for soil, water, plant, and other agricultural and environmental samples.
The BMO Soil Analytical Laboratory is part of the University of Saskatchewan College of Agriculture and Bioresources and is a core support facility of the Department of Soil Science.
The lab operates on a fee-for-service basis that is available to all USask and Canadian Academic researchers and students. The lab also accepts samples from clients external to the university. Please contact the lab before submitting samples for analysis.
Sample Preparation
We provide sample preparation services to ensure that soil and plant samples are ready for analysis. This includes air drying, sieving, and grinding to achieve the desired particle size, as well as chemical extractions to prepare samples for nutrient and elemental analysis.
NOTE: Samples are processed in the order in which they are received and may have a minimum sample number requirement.
| Service | Description |
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Air drying & sieving to 2 mm
|
Prepares samples for uniform analysis by removing moisture and large particles
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Coarse grinding
(Wiley mill) |
Reduces particle size to improve homogeneity
|
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Fine grinding
(Ball mill) |
Further reduces particle size for finer analysis
|
|
Chemical Extraction:
2M KCl, modified Kelowna, Mehlich 3, Bray 1 & 2 |
Soil extracts for nutrient analysis
|
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Water extraction (1:2, 1:5, 1:10 soil:water)
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Aqueous extracts for testing
|
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Saturated paste
|
Salinity and ion analysis
|
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Soil moisture content
|
Oven drying at 105°C
|
Microwave-Assisted Extraction and Digestion
|
ETHOS X microwave extraction system |
The ETHOS X Advanced Microwave Extraction System enables rapid extraction and digestion using organic solvents and acids, ensuring complete sample dissolution and efficient analysis. |
Carbon Analysis (Solid samples)
|
Elementar soli TOC Cube |
An Elementar soli TOC® Cube total carbon analyzer is used to measure total, organic, and inorganic carbon fractions with high accuracy. The analyzer can simultaneously measure TOC400, ROC, TIC900, and TC using a combination of temperature ramping and gas switching. |
Nitrogen Analysis (Solid samples)
|
Elementar rapid MAX N exceed |
An Elementar rapid MAX N exceed nitrogen and protein analyzer is used to measure total nitrogen (TN) employing the Dumas high temperature combustion method to yield accurate quantification of nitrogen content in solid samples. |
Carbon and Nitrogen Analysis (Soil extract & liquid samples)
|
Shimadzu TOC-L with TNM-L |
Using Shimadzu TOC-L and TNM-L systems, we offer comprehensive analysis of total carbon (TC), inorganic carbon (IC), organic carbon (TOC), non-purgeable organic carbon (NPOC), and total nitrogen (TN) in liquid samples. |
Nutrient Analysis (Soil extract & liquid samples)
|
SEAL AA500 |
SEAL Segmented Flow Analyzers (AA500 & AA3) are used to perform essential nutrient analyses of soil extracts. Nutrients include: nitrate (NO3-), nitrite (NO2-), ammonium (NH4+), phosphate (PO43-), total phosphorus, total Kjeldahl nitrogen, and chloride (Cl-). |
Metals Analysis
|
Agilent AA200 AAS system |
Agilent MP-AES system
|
Using Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (Agilent AA200) and Microwave Plasma-Atomic Emission Spectroscopy (Agilent MP-AES), we offer the analysis of metals and essential soil elements such as sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, copper, zinc, boron, manganese, and sulfur.
For all internal (USask) samples, the lab offers a discounted rate for users who perform their own analyses following training provided by Dr. Hongxiu Wang.
For additional information or to submit samples, please contact Dr. Hongxiu Wang at hongxiu.wang@usask.ca.