Consistency of the MOET [Minus-one Element Technique] kit test results with other diagnostic tools

The consistency of the Minus-One Element Technique (MOET) soil test kit results were evaluated/compared against the Nutrient Omission Plot Technique (NOPT) from 2017 to 2018 and against laboratory analysis for soil NPK levels in 2019. A MOET pot setup for -N, -P, -K and -S were established inside NOPT field setups according to the same targeted nutrients for a homogeneous exposure of the test plants to field environmental conditions. The field experiment was laid-out in split-plot RCBD replicated four times with varietal maturity as main plot and omitted nutrient as sub-plots. In 2019, soil samples from 12 different sites were used for a MOET test and were subjected to laboratory analysis for soil NPK content for comparison. Agronomic parameters from the MOET test setups were also collected to evaluate a potential substitute for the MOET kit's prescribed procedure of using biomass for nutrient deficiency assessment. Even though biomass is the best indicator of growth, measuring it at the farmers' level is often difficult due to lack of weighing devices hence, a need for a substitute parameter. Results of the 30-45 d biomass between MOET and NOPT setups showed strong linear correlations per nutrient and by cropping seasons (i.e. DS or WS) indicating capability of the MOET to substitute NOPT for soil nutrient assessment. Laboratory results on the other hand were not totally consistent with the MOET test kit results particularly for nutrients P and K resulting to only 89% overall consistency. While consistency of using other agronomic parameters from a MOET test for deficiency analysis showed that leaf count can be a potential alternative to biomass of the test plants as the former does not require sensitive weighing devices for measurement.