Editing Soil test (section)

{{Short description|Analysis of soil}}
{{Other uses|Geotechnical investigation}}
[[File:20150319-OC-LSC-0534 (16868799182).jpg|300px|thumb|A [[horticulture]] student taking a soil sample in a garden near [[Lawrenceville, Georgia]]]]
A '''soil test''' is a [[laboratory]] or [[In situ|in-situ]] analysis to determine the chemical, physical or biological characteristics of a soil. Possibly the most widely conducted soil tests are those performed to estimate the plant-available concentrations of [[Plant nutrients in soil|nutrients]] in order to provide [[fertilizer]] recommendations in agriculture. In [[geotechnical engineering]], soil tests can be used to determine the current physical state of the soil, the [[seepage]] properties, the [[Shear strength (soil)|shear strength]] and the [[Deformation (engineering)|deformation]] properties of the soil. Other soil tests may be used in [[geochemical]] or [[ecological]] investigations.