Fabrication and testing of a low-cost ceramic-cup soil solution sampler

Locally fabricated ceramic-cup soil solution samplers could be readily made from locally available materials at low-cost. The total cost of such a sampler was a mere 5% or less of the cost of ready-made, imported samplers. The fabricated lysimeter worked satisfactorily in a sandy loam soil cropped with maize and soybean at or near saturation. Water samples could be successfully obtained during both the pre-monsoon and mid-rainy season periods. Concentrations of major nutrients (N, P and K) in leached water were highest in the pre-monsoon period, suggesting an initial flushing of nutrients out of the profile during this time, and/or the correspondence of timing of application of fertilizers with the on-set of monsoon rains. The locally fabricated lysimeters offer a viable and cost-effective means for repeated collection of soil water leached through the profile under undisturbed conditions. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.