Soil Ringtest and QA/QC information

Soil Ringtest programme

The Soil Ringtest program runs every three years. The procedure is as follows:

Informing the possible participating labs and NFCs (every third year - e.g. 2021, 2024, 2027, ...)
Registration of the participants via internet (April)
Distribution of the test samples and the invoice (April)
Data submission by the labs (September)
Deadline of data submission (beginning of October)
Results (October)
Re-qualification process finished (May - next year)
Re-qualification confirmed (with an extra sample set)

When a lab did not qualify and did not make efforts to improve data quality, the PCC will send a letter to the respective National Focal Centre informing it that the data may not be used for evaluations at European level.

The ringtest is financed by a participation fee and preparation of ringtest samples by the participants.

Information on latest test

Reports from previous tests

10th Soil Ringtest 2021 (Requalification results)

9th Soil Ringtest 2018

8th Soil Ringtest 2015

7th Soil Ringtest 2012

6th Soil Ringtest 2009

5th Soil Ringtest 2007

Part 1 (Annexes 1-4), Part 2 (Annex 5-0: Soil moisture content), Part 3 (Annex 5-1: Particle size distribution), Part 4 (Annex 5-2: Soil reaction, Part 5 (Annex 5-2: Soil reaction rounded), Part 6 (Annex 5-3: Carbonate content, Part 7 (Annex 5-4: Oranic carbon), Part 8 (Annex 5-5: Total nitrogen content), Part 9 (Annex 5-6a: Exchangeable cations 1), Part 10 (Annex 5-6b: Exchangeable cations 2), Part 11 (Annex 5-7a: Aqua regia extactable elements 1), Part 12 (Annex 5-7b: Aqua regia extractable elements 2), Part 13 (Annex 5-7c: Aqua regia elements 3), Part 14 (Annex 5-8: Total elements), Part 15 (Annex 5-9: Acid oxalate extractable Fe and Al)