NewOctober 2026 release: John Deere sync redesign, rate min and max limits, yield report zones

Soil sampling requirements in Brazil

Soil sampling requirements in Brazil

National guidance: Embrapa, Amostragem de solo para recomendação de calagem e adubação.

Soil sampling in Brazil: frequency, area, depth and cores

How often do you need to soil sample in Brazil?

When in the year should soil be sampled in Brazil?

How many hectares can one soil sample cover in Brazil?

How deep should soil samples be taken in Brazil?

  • Embrapa, Amostragem de solo para recomendação de calagem e adubação Official guidance 0 to 20 cm for conventional tillage, perennial crops, and no-till fertilised in the row up to the 6th consecutive crop. 0 to 10 cm for no-till after the 6th crop, established pasture and undisturbed natural grassland. 20 to 40 and 40 to 60 cm before the first planting, to find barriers.

How many cores go into one soil sample in Brazil?

How many soil samples does a 40 ha field need in Brazil?

Embrapa, Amostragem de solo para recomendação de calagem e adubação: A uniform 40 ha field needs at least 4 composite samples of no more than 10 ha each, and at least 40 cores in all, 10 per sample.

Samples and cores for any field size

Soil sampling rules in Brazil, with the exact wording of each source
Country / region Purpose / programme Time / frequency Area per sample Method Depth Cores Status and source
Brazil
BrazilSoil sample for lime and fertiliser recommendationsEmbrapa, Amostragem de solo para recomendação de calagem e adubação
  • Season Annual crops: end of the rainy season, ahead of the next planting. Perennial crops in production: just after harvest, before the next fertilising.
  • Wait Where crop nutrition is monitored: 30 days after the last fertiliser, 15 days after fertigation
  • Repeat Where crop nutrition is monitored: every year, sometimes twice a year, alongside leaf analysis
Homogeneous plots (talhões) of at most 10 ha, one composite eachSplit the area into homogeneous plots by soil colour, relief, texture, drainage, erosion, vegetation or previous crop, cropping, liming and fertiliser history, management and yield; walk each plot at random in a zigzag.0 to 20 cm for conventional tillage, perennial crops, and no-till fertilised in the row up to the 6th consecutive crop. 0 to 10 cm for no-till after the 6th crop, established pasture and undisturbed natural grassland. 20 to 40 and 40 to 60 cm before the first planting, to find barriers.At least 10 points per homogeneous plot, ideally about 20Official guidanceEmbrapa, Amostragem de Solo para Recomendação de Calagem e Adubação (PDF folder, 2009)
Who it applies to, the exact wording and every source
Who it applies to
Advice from Embrapa, the federal agricultural research corporation, for lime and fertiliser recommendations. Not law.
Field identifiers
Label each sample with date, place and depth of collection.
In force from
Under review
Legal text
Embrapa Mandioca e Fruticultura Tropical, Amostragem de Solo para Recomendação de Calagem e Adubação (folder, June 2009)

The wording in the source

Timing

  • Para culturas anuais, recomenda-se que a amostragem seja feita no final do período chuvoso, portanto com antecedência em relação ao novo plantio.

    For annual crops, sampling is recommended at the end of the rainy season, so ahead of the new planting.

    Folder, p. 1

  • Para culturas perenes em produção, a amostragem deve ser realizada preferencialmente logo após a colheita e antes de aplicar a adubação para o novo ciclo.

    For perennial crops in production, sampling should preferably be done just after harvest and before applying fertiliser for the new cycle.

    Folder, p. 1

  • A amostragem do solo deve ser feita 30 dias após a última adubação ou 15 dias após a fertirrigação.

    Soil sampling must be done 30 days after the last fertilising or 15 days after fertigation.

    Folder, p. 1, crops whose nutritional status is monitored

  • A análise química do solo da mesma gleba ou talhão deve ser repetida anualmente ou, em alguns casos, até duas vezes no ano, devendo ser conciliada com a análise química foliar.

    The soil chemical analysis of the same gleba or plot must be repeated every year or, in some cases, up to twice a year, matched with leaf chemical analysis.

    Folder, p. 1, crops whose nutritional status is monitored

Area per sample

  • A área a ser amostrada deve ser dividida em estratos, glebas ou talhões de no máximo 10 hectares

    The area to be sampled must be divided into strata, glebas or plots of at most 10 hectares

    Folder, p. 2

Method

  • homogêneos quanto à cor do solo (amarela, vermelha, cinza ou preta), topografia (topo, encosta ou baixada), textura (argilosa, média ou arenosa), condições de drenagem, grau de erosão, tipo de vegetação ou cultura anterior, histórico de uso (com ou sem cultivo, com ou sem calagem/adubação), manejo e produtividade agrícola.

    homogeneous in soil colour (yellow, red, grey or black), topography (hilltop, slope or low ground), texture (clayey, medium or sandy), drainage, degree of erosion, type of vegetation or previous crop, history of use (with or without cropping, with or without liming or fertilising), management and yield.

    Folder, p. 2

  • Desta forma, para cada condição deverá ser coletada uma amostra composta separadamente

    So for each condition a separate composite sample must be collected

    Folder, p. 2

  • caminhando-se ao acaso em zigue-zague na área, para formar a amostra composta

    walking at random in a zigzag across the area, to form the composite sample

    Folder, p. 2

Depth

  • a) 0 a 10 centímetros: culturas anuais sob sistema de plantio direto após o … cultivo consecutivo adubado em linha, manutenção de pastagens formadas e campo natural sem revolvimento do solo.

    a) 0 to 10 centimetres: annual crops under no-till after the … consecutive crop fertilised in the row, maintenance of established pastures and natural grassland without soil disturbance.

    Folder, p. 2, sampling depth (a); the elided ordinal is the 6th

  • b) 0 a 20 centímetros: culturas perenes (fruteiras, café, cravo-da-índia, dendê, seringueira etc.); culturas anuais, formação de culturas perenes e de pastagens, com sistema convencional de preparo do solo, e até o … cultivo anual consecutivo, sob sistema de plantio direto, adubado em linha.

    b) 0 to 20 centimetres: perennial crops (fruit, coffee, clove, oil palm, rubber etc.); annual crops, establishment of perennial crops and pastures, under conventional tillage, and up to the … consecutive annual crop under no-till fertilised in the row.

    Folder, p. 2, sampling depth (b); the elided ordinal is the 6th

  • c) 20 a 40 e 40 a 60 centímetros: antes do primeiro plantio na área, a amostragem de camadas mais profundas do solo objetiva detectar a ocorrência de barreiras físicas (pedregosidade, compactação) ou químicas (toxidez de alumínio, deficiência de nutrientes)

    c) 20 to 40 and 40 to 60 centimetres: before the first planting in the area, sampling the deeper soil layers aims to detect physical barriers (stoniness, compaction) or chemical ones (aluminium toxicity, nutrient deficiency)

    Folder, p. 2, sampling depth (c)

Cores

  • O número de amostras simples não deve ser inferior a 10 pontos por talhão homogêneo, sendo ideal em torno de 20 pontos.

    The number of simple samples must not be below 10 points per homogeneous plot, ideally about 20 points.

    Folder, p. 2

Field identifiers

  • As amostras devem ser identificadas com data, local e profundidade da coleta e enviadas para o laboratório.

    Samples must be labelled with the date, place and depth of collection and sent to the laboratory.

    Folder, p. 2

Sources

Sources re-checked every two months, last update October 2026. Reviewed by GeoPard editorial team.

Soil sampling regulations in every country

Report an outdated requirement: info@geopard.tech

Plan the points to the rule that applies

Set the area per sample, the cores and the depth your rule asks for. GeoPard places the points on a grid or by zone, routes the walk, prints the labels and takes the plan to the field on a phone.

wpChatIcon
wpChatIcon

    Request Free GeoPard Demo / Consultation








    By clicking the button you agree our Privacy Policy. We need it to reply to your request.

      Subscribe


      By clicking the button you agree our Privacy Policy

        Send us information


        By clicking the button you agree our Privacy Policy