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President Rodrigo R. Duterte emphasized the conduct of soil analysis in the country during his first State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 15, 2016. He said that “we shall also conduct a nationwide soil analysis to determine areas most suitable for rice farming to optimize production with the use of effective soil rehabilitation and fertilization.” As an effect of this presidential pronouncement, many people including professionals from various academic fields have been wondering what soil analysis is. Several readers of this blog suggested that I write about this topic hence, this article. Soil analysis refers to the measurement of soil physical, chemical, and biological properties. It is done, depending on the type of soil analysis, for the following purposes: 1) to evaluate the origin and formation of the soil; 2) to assess the level of contamination of the soil; 3) to characterize the soil as a habitat of soil organisms; 4) to assess the soil fertility status; and 5) to evalu...

Jackfruit ( Artocarpus heterophyllus ) is now an important crop in Leyte and Samar islands or Eastern Visayas (Region 8) in the Philippines. In fact, the Department of Agriculture (Region 8) and the Visayas Consortium for Agriculture and Resources Program (ViCARP) based at VSU have made it a priority crop for the region. Consequently, more studies are now being conducted by research centers and universities to improve jackfruit productivity and to develop jackfruit-based food products. A research funded by the Bureau of Agricultural Research (Manila) from 2000 to 2003 titled "Characterizing biophysical environments for research prioritization and agricultural production in Region 8 (VB Asio, BB Dargantes, PP Garcia, K Israel)" produced the first solid scientific evidence that jackfruit is generally suitable for the region based on climate, geology, topography, land use, and soil factors. Among the significant outputs of this research were the suitability maps developed using ...