The analysis of agricultural soils and the corresponding fertiliser recommendations carried out by the Institute of Natural Resources and Agrobiology of Salamanca (IRNASA-CSIC) for farmers in the province, a project financed by the Provincial Council of Salamanca, have renewed this Monday the UNE-EN ISO 9001 quality certificate by Emiliana Rodríguez, Commercial Director of the Central Region of Bureau Veritas, at an event held within the framework of the Salamaq Fair.
The award was presented to the deputies for agriculture and livestock, José Roque Madruga, and for the Salamaq Fair, Santiago Castañeda, and by IRNASA-CSIC to the head of the analysis and instrumentation service, Mariano Igual, and the quality manager Gema Sánchez.
These analyses are intended to determine different parameters – such as pH, particle size, carbonates, assimilable phosphorus, assimilable calcium and assimilable potassium – to obtain precise information with which to apply the appropriate fertilizer for each soil and crop. Based on this data, the Institute’s experts issue a report with fertilization recommendations if the farmer indicates the next crop in the analysis request.
This detailed information not only enables the most efficient fertilization of land, but also environmental benefits by optimizing the application of chemicals and reducing groundwater pollution.
IRNASA-CSIC and the Provincial Council of Salamanca have maintained a collaboration agreement for years through which more than 30,000 analytical determinations have been carried out on 1,500 soil samples sent to the Institute by more than 380 farmers in the province.
Quality management and continuous improvement
IRNASA is an institute of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), recognized as a Unit of Excellence of the Junta de Castilla y León in 2021, which carries out multidisciplinary research on agricultural crops and their products, environmental conservation, and livestock health. The Institute aims to be a national and international benchmark on the path towards sustainable and environmentally friendly agriculture, taking into account the challenges posed by climate change.
Within IRNASA-CSIC, there are a series of Scientific-Technical Services (SCTs) belonging to the CSIC SCT Network at a national level that provide support within their different specialties to the different departments of IRNASA for the development of their projects, as well as to other users (farmers, companies, research centers, etc.).
IRNASA-CSIC has carried out an improvement and expansion of the existing infrastructures and equipment in the SCTs, among other actions, to achieve the main objectives of its Excellence Program, aware of the importance of offering a high degree of satisfaction to all interested parties, committing to carrying out its activities within previously established deadlines and guaranteeing confidence in the results of its activities and meeting, as far as possible, their expectations.
To this end, in 2012 the implementation of a Quality Management System according to the UNE-EN ISO 9001 standard was initiated in the Analysis and Instrumentation Service of IRNASA-CSIC, obtaining in 2015 the certification for activities related to soil analysis and the corresponding fertilization recommendations.
