Use and Maintenance of Advanced Instruments in Soil and Plant Analysis

Bhopal, 13 August 2016.

With the aim to impart new skills for the operation and maintenance of advanced instruments being used for precise soil and plant analysis and also to cover the laboratory safety measures and precautions required for operation of the advanced instruments, a training programme was organized at the Indian Institute of Soil Science on 8 August 2016. Dr J. K Saha (Course Director) inaugurated a six-day training programme on ‘Use and Maintenance of Advanced Instruments in Soil and Plant Analysis’, sponsored by the Human Resource Management Unit of the ICAR (Hq), and it was conducted for the improvement of the working skills of the technical staffs and to provide hands on practical training in handling of advanced instrumentation. Dr D. L. N. Rao (National Coordinator, Biofertilizers) delivered a brief lecture on the laboratory working principles and precautions. During the training programme twenty three theory-cum-practical classes were conducted by the resource persons from the institute covering twenty instruments. The working principle, operations procedures, and precautions required for the operation of the instruments and also calculation procedures for measurement of a parameter were covered during the sessions. The trainees were exposed to the advanced instruments like Induced coupled plasma emission spectroscope (ICPE), Gas-chromatography (GC), Atomic Absorption Spectroscope (AAS), Mid-infrared spectroscope, Portable x-ray fluorescent spectroscope (p-XRF) etc. The resource materials for the lectures were also provided to the participants and a field trip was also conducted to expose the trainee about the agricultural practices being followed in this region, and also to have experience about the soil types and, soil related constraints and their management. Dr A. K. Patra (Director) explained the 23 trainees from sixteen ICAR institutes situated in nine different states across the country about the need and importance of this programme.

(Source: ICAR-Indian Institute of Soil Science, Bhopal)