Philippines country report on the soil and plant test laboratories, test methods, qa/qc implementation and interpretation of results for agriculture application

It is apparent that agriculture is the food source of the nation, and in the Philippines, the agricultural sector accounts for about two-thirds of the country’s employment. Agriculture significantly contributes to the increase of its economic status by 1.47% during the first quarter of 2018. Pre-husked rice and corn production primarily contributes to the increased by 4.61% and 4.66% respectively, and followed by other major crops like coconut, banana, pineapple, tobacco, abaca and rubber. However, this significant increase in crop production cannot be achieved without examining the nutrient status of the soil. As the nationally-mandated agency on sustainable management of soil and water resources for agriculture, the Bureau of Soils and Water Management Laboratory Services Division having been assessed and found conforming to the requirements of PNS ISO/IEC 17025:2005 and the Philippine Accreditation Bureau in the field of Chemical Testing was issued certification from June 15, 2016 and valid until June 14, 2021. Significant activities include chemical testing of soil, plant tissues, fertilizers and water samples. This is done by licensed chemists and chemical technicians. QA/QC implementation is a must in the entire test being undertaken including physical, biological and rapid soil test. It also participates in a number of local and international Proficiency Tests. These international institutions include: Agricultural Laboratory Proficiency (ALP) in soil and water from Cycle 27 in 2015 to Cycle 35 to date; Australasian Soil and Plant Analysis Council (ASPAC) in New Zealand six cycles from June 2016 to June 2018 for soil and most recently, the Food and Fertilizer Technology Center (FFTC) for the Asian and Pacific Region and the Taiwan Agricultural Research Institute (TARI) for soil and plant tissues samples. Thus BSWM-LSD was granted certification in soil testing from The Minnesota Department of Agriculture and ASPAC. At the local level, participation in plant tissue proficiency test for corn based snack food was provided by the Department of Science and Technology – Food and Nutrition Research Institute (DOST-FNRI). As member country of the Food and Agriculture Organization to the Global Soil Productivity Network, the BSWM also participated in the Inter-laboratory exchange for the South-East Soil Laboratory Network (SEALNET). The BSWM-LSD is also mandated to provide soil nutrient recommendations on the basis of the results of soil analysis which is performed by licensed agriculturist. Thus to operate soil and plant tissue analytical laboratory would require team efforts among agriculture experts in soils, biologist, chemists and technicians. The BSWM-LSD is overall responsible to supervise, regulate and control the establishment and operation of all soil laboratories in the Philippines. Through the ongoing project for the implementation of Presidential Decree 1435, the BSWM–LSD takes the lead role in strengthening the capacities of Regional Soils Laboratories under the Department of Agriculture (DA) and to prepare these laboratories for ISO Accreditation. The BSWM-LSD also provides technical assistance and guidance for these DA Laboratories to comply with the requirements of regulatory agencies in the country such as the Professional Regulatory Commission for the authority to operate chemical laboratories; the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) for the Hazardous waste disposal, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Authority and the Philippine National Police for the purchase of high risk controlled chemicals. Networking with other agencies to comply with regulatory requirements can be both a challenge and opportunity to improve laboratory services. With due consideration on the activities and operations of soil and plant analytical laboratory it can be concluded that soil laboratories in the Philippines play a significant role in providing quality data for improved agricultural production, and food safety; clean and healthy environment for the well-being and improved quality of life of the Filipino people.