4th meeting of the Global Soil Laboratory Network (GLOSOLAN) 11-13 November 2020 Mr. Christopher Lee

1. 4th Meeting of the Global Soil Laboratory Network (GLOSOLAN)
Chris Lee, USDA - Natural Resources Conservation Service,
Soil and Plant Science Division, National Soil Survey Center,
Kellogg Soil Survey Laboratory
Report from a GLOSOLAN member from
North America

2. 4th Meeting of the Global Soil Laboratory Network (GLOSOLAN)
Kellogg Soil Survey Laboratory (KSSL)
National Soil Survey Center (NSSC)
Soil and Plant Science Division (SPSD)
Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)
United States Department Of Agriculture (USDA)

3. 4th Meeting of the Global Soil Laboratory Network (GLOSOLAN)
USDA-NRCS-SPSD and GSP-GLOSOLAN
Background:
The NRCS-SPSD has participated in GLOSOLAN for 3 years.
NRCS-SPSD cooperation with GSP-Pillar 5 was initiated in 2017 by NRCS-SPSD Director Dave
Lindbo, also chair of the GSP North American Regional Partnership.
KSSL chemist Rich Ferguson represented NRCS-SPSD at the 2018 and 2019 annual GSP-
GLOSOLAN meetings.
NSSC Director Dave Hoover is Pillar 5 chairperson.
Motivation for participation:
The KSSL has similar interests to GLOSOLAN – seeing the value in harmonizing standards of
soil analysis and quality control
Currently no standard SOPs are followed by all soil analysis laboratories in North America –
the same named analysis may be conducted in multiple ways and with varying standards for
quality control.
Soil analytical laboratories are not part of the regulatory community and are not required to
do analyses in the same way.

4. 4th Meeting of the Global Soil Laboratory Network (GLOSOLAN)
Main contributions by NSSC to
GLOSOLAN during FY2020:
• Edited and reviewed GLOSOLAN documents.
• Participated in the MIR soil spectroscopy initiative.
• Participated in questionnaires and surveys.

5. 4th Meeting of the Global Soil Laboratory Network (GLOSOLAN)
Chris Lee, Patty Jones, Aaron Achen, Rich Ferguson provided technical and
editorial review of GLOSOLAN documents. Examples:
• Olsen and Mehlich III Phosphorus
• Saturated Paste EC
• Soil EC 1:5
• Calcium Carbonate Equivalent
• Total Carbon by dry combustion
• Minutes of First Plenary on Spectroscopy
• Terms of Reference for the technical
working group on soil spectroscopy
• Basic Guidelines for QC Sample
Preparation
• Spectroscopy questionnaire
• Etc.
GLOSOLAN Document Review

6. 4th Meeting of the Global Soil Laboratory Network (GLOSOLAN)
KSSL was inspired by GLOSOLAN!
• KSSL management accepted proposal to adopt the GLOSOLAN
method format for version 6 of its Laboratory Methods Manual
(in preparation) – very positive feedback thus far; e.g. “better
organized”, “greater clarity”, “easy to follow”, etc.

7. 4th Meeting of the Global Soil Laboratory Network (GLOSOLAN)
Spectroscopy Initiative
• Dave Hoover and Rich Ferguson met with fellow
GLOSOLAN participants Keith Shepherd, Fenny van
Egmond, Jonathan Sanderman, Yufeng Ge, & Nuwan
Wijewardane at a planning meeting at NSSC in
November 2019.
• The MIR soil spectroscopy concept note that came from
that meeting was later accepted at the 1st GLOSOLAN
plenary on spectroscopy in September 2020.
• The KSSL is readying to ingest samples from this
initiative in service of a great example of needed
organized science around emerging technologies for
soil assessment.
• All this made possible by GLOSOLAN!

8. 4th Meeting of the Global Soil Laboratory Network (GLOSOLAN)
Spectroscopy Initiative (cont)
• Sample submission guidelines and spreadsheets
developed were developed by Rich Ferguson, Fenny
van Egmond, Keith Shepherd, and Christian Omuto.

9. 4th Meeting of the Global Soil Laboratory Network (GLOSOLAN)
• Questionnaire and pictorial guide developed by Amber
Kenjar, Michelle Etmund, and Rich Ferguson for shipping
samples to the KSSL.
• Goal: that not a single sample be lost due to improper
containment, packaging, labeling and shipping.
Spectroscopy Initiative (cont)

10. 4th Meeting of the Global Soil Laboratory Network (GLOSOLAN)
Thanks for your attention