Real-time nitrate extraction from soil cores

An intact core extraction procedure was tested that might be used in the field for real-time prediction of soil nitrates. An extraction solution was pushed through a soil core held between two filters, and an ion-selective field effect transistor /flow injection analysis (ISFET/FIA) system was used to sense soil nitrates in real time. Laboratory tests were conducted using four soil types, and two levels of nitrate concentration, soil moisture, core density, core length, core diameter, and extraction solution flowrate. The extraction solution flow was sampled at the exit face of the core and routed to the ISFET/FIA system. The ISFET output voltage was sampled at 100 Hz. Results of the test indicate that nitrate extraction and washout occurred in the soil cores, and that peak, slope, and cumulative area data descriptors of the nitrate extraction curve indicate prediction in a few seconds.