Agriculture & Soil

Agricultural and Soil Science Laboratory LIMS

Why is Omega the Right LIMS for You?

Omega is an extremely powerful LIMS offering easy configurability at a very affordable price.  Khemia’s Omega LIMS has built in reporting to meet any needs whether an EDD or hard copy report.  Omega provides complete traceability throughout the LIMS to meet EPA, FDA, USDA and ISO 17025 compliance.  Omega offers a full suite of QA/QC options to ensure data quality.  Omega offers a web-portal through its FlashPoint feature for clients to view reports and track progress real-time.

Omega also offers one of the fastest implementation times of any LIMS on the market!

Soil Testing Laboratories:

The raw materials for agriculture begin with the water and soil.  Appropriate quality standards need to be met appropriate to the crop(s) being produced.  In this case, quality is the basic composition of the soils along with any potential contaminants.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has forwarded the Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) Program to assist farms in reducing contamination risk.

Why tests the soils?  There are five basic reasons to begin with:

  • Nutrient levels
  • Soil acidity
  • Environmental Protection
  • Economics
  • Health: herbicides, pesticides, lead and other toxic heavy metals

Compliance with Standards is a critical requirement of any laboratory operating within the agricultural or soil science realm.  These standards may include various regulations put forth by the GLP, FDA, USDA, ISO 17025, EPA and/or NAHLN.

References of interest:

Natural Resources Conservation Service Soil Survey Office Laboratory Safety Guide

Guidelines for Quality Management in Soil and Plant Laboratories (FAO Soils Bulletin – 74)

International Seed Testing Association - ISTA

Recommended Soil Testing Procedures for the Northeastern US (University of Delaware)

Agricultural Laboratories:

Agricultural laboratories analyze samples for a large group of varying businesses and disciplines under the agricultural industry.  The agricultural industry itself encompasses activities associated with the raising of food crops including fruits, vegetables, livestock and farmed seafoods.  The societal importance of agriculture is tremendous, both for health and potential strain it places on the environment.  Agricultural laboratories measure all aspects of the industry from basic soil chemistries to final crop testing to environmental studies measuring the impact of agricultural activities.  These laboratories are paramount to maintaining healthy, profitable agricultural enterprises as well as to ensure proper agricultural management is in place to best take the population and environments that it impacts.

The Omega LIMS by Khemia may be utilized for the following disciplines within the agricultural laboratory industry:

  • Water Quality
  • Soil, Chemical and Physical Analyses
  • Plant Chemical Analyses
  • Environmental Monitoring

 

Agricultural and soil laboratory workflows

Laboratory Software for Agricultural Testing & Soil Analysis

Agricultural and soil testing laboratories serve growers, agronomists, and environmental consultants with critical data for crop production and land management. Omega LIMS by Khemia Software provides comprehensive sample management, analytical automation, and grower-friendly reporting designed specifically for agronomy laboratories.

Agricultural Testing Applications

Soil Fertility Analysis

  • Macro nutrients (N, P, K)
  • Secondary nutrients (Ca, Mg, S)
  • Micronutrients (Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, B, Mo)
  • pH and lime requirement
  • Organic matter content
  • Cation exchange capacity (CEC)
  • Electrical conductivity (EC)/salinity

Plant Tissue Testing

  • Nutrient status in crops
  • Diagnostic tissue analysis
  • Nitrogen sufficiency testing
  • Micronutrient deficiency identification

Water Quality for Irrigation

  • Salinity hazard (EC, TDS)
  • Sodium adsorption ratio (SAR)
  • Hardness
  • pH and alkalinity
  • Toxic ions (B, Cl, Na)
  • Nitrate-nitrogen

Compost & Manure Analysis

  • Nutrient content (N-P-K)
  • Carbon-to-nitrogen ratio
  • pH and EC
  • Moisture content
  • Maturity indicators

Field Sample Management

Track samples from field to final recommendation:

  • GPS Integration: Link samples to field coordinates
  • Field Mapping: Visual sample location display
  • Sub-Sample Tracking: Composite sample management
  • Depth Recording: Document sampling depth
  • Previous History: Compare with past results

Automated Recommendation Generation

Convert analytical data into actionable agronomic advice:

Fertilizer Recommendations

  • Crop-specific nutrient requirements
  • Soil test interpretation
  • Fertilizer product suggestions
  • Application rate calculations
  • Economic analysis (cost per acre)
  • Precision agriculture variable rate files

Lime Recommendations

  • Lime requirement calculations
  • Target pH by crop
  • Application timing
  • Product quality considerations

Grower-Friendly Reporting

Generate reports farmers and agronomists can use immediately:

  • Color-coded nutrient levels (low, optimum, high)
  • Plain language interpretation
  • Fertilizer product recommendations
  • Cost estimates
  • Trend analysis vs previous years
  • Field maps with zones
  • Mobile-friendly PDF delivery

Precision Agriculture Integration

Variable Rate Application

Export data for precision farming equipment:

  • Shapefile generation for GIS systems
  • Prescription file creation
  • Management zone delineation
  • Grid sampling support
  • Zone-based recommendations

Farm Management Software Integration

  • Data export to major farm software platforms
  • Field boundary import
  • Historical data exchange

Pesticide Residue Testing

Agricultural product safety analysis:

  • Multi-residue pesticide screening
  • Regulatory limit compliance (EPA, FDA)
  • Organic certification support
  • Export market requirements
  • GC/MS and LC/MS/MS integration

Heavy Metals & Contaminants

  • Lead, arsenic, cadmium, mercury
  • Regulatory limit checking
  • Site remediation monitoring
  • Biosolids land application compliance

Instrument Integration

Automate data capture from agricultural testing instruments:

  • ICP-MS/OES: Multi-element analysis
  • Ion Chromatography: Anion analysis
  • Spectrophotometry: Colorimetric methods
  • pH Meters: Automated pH logging
  • EC Meters: Salinity measurement
  • Balances: Weight data capture

Quality Control for Ag Labs

  • Check sample analysis
  • Duplicate sample tracking
  • Control charts
  • Proficiency testing (NAPT, AAPFCO)
  • Method validation documentation
  • ISO/IEC 17025 support

Client Management Features

Grower Accounts

  • Farm and field database
  • Historical sample archive
  • Crop rotation tracking
  • Custom pricing structures
  • Seasonal billing options

Agronomist Portal

  • Consultant access to client data
  • Sample submission capability
  • Real-time result viewing
  • Bulk sample management

Seasonal Workflow Management

Handle high-volume seasonal demands:

  • Automatic test assignment by season
  • Rush sample prioritization
  • Batch processing efficiency
  • Turnaround time tracking
  • Capacity planning tools

Regulatory & Certification Support

  • USDA Programs: GAP compliance testing
  • Organic Certification: OMRI-approved input testing
  • State Regulations: Agricultural chemical licensing
  • ISO/IEC 17025: Laboratory accreditation
  • AAPFCO: Association of American Plant Food Control Officials

Why Agricultural Labs Choose Omega LIMS

  • Agronomy Expertise: Built by people who understand agriculture
  • Grower-Focused: Reports farmers can actually use
  • Seasonal Flexibility: Handles variable workloads
  • Fast Implementation: Go live before next season
  • Affordable Pricing: Designed for agricultural budgets

Grow Your Agricultural Testing Business

Request a demo focused on soil testing, agronomy, and precision agriculture workflows.