Analytical services
The Mazingira Centre is a full-service agricultural testing laboratory offering accurate and timely analysis of feeds, forages, soil, and greenhouse gas emissions.
The Mazingira Centre consists of laboratories with state-of-the-art equipment that can measure environmental parameters including greenhouse gas emissions, animal productivity, nutrient contents of soils, plants, and water, as well as soil sequestration.
OUR LAB SERVICES
Greenhouse gas analysis:
- Greenhouse gas (CH4, N2O and CO2) composition in air samples
- SF6 and CH4 composition in livestock breath samples
Nutritional analysis of animal feed
- Sample Preparation (drying, milling and sieving)
- Fibre composition (NDF, ADF and ADL)
- Dry matter & ash (organic matter or volatile solids)
- Crude protein
- Total carbon and nitrogen
- Gross energy (GE)
Soil testing:
- Sample preparation (drying, milling and sieving)
- Dry matter & water content
- Mineral nitrogen (nitrate, ammonium-N)
- Plant-available phosphorus (Olsen-P)
- Total carbon and nitrogen
- Total phosphorus
- Microbial biomass (carbon and nitrogen)
- pH
- Soil microbial enzyme activity
- Soil texture - hydrometer
- Soil bulk density
- Soil aggregate stability - Wet sieving method
Manure testing:
- Sample preparation (drying, milling and sieving)
- Dry matter & ash (organic matter or volatile solids)
- Feedstock fiber composition (hemicellulose, cellulose and lignin)
- Mineral nitrogen (nitrate, ammonium-N) - Photometry
- Plant-available phosphorus (Olsen-P) - Photometry
- Total carbon and nitrogen
- Total phosphorus
- Microbial biomass (carbon)
- pH
- Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and dissolved nitrogen (DN) in manure leachates
Biogas feedstock, bioslurry & digester testing:
- Biogas (CH4 and CO2) composition in biogas samples
- Feedstock sample preparation (drying, milling and sieving)
- Dry Dry matter & ash (organic matter or volatile solids)
- Feedstock fiber composition (hemicellulose, cellulose and lignin)
- Mineral nitrogen (nitrate, ammonium-N) in bioslurry
- Plant-available phosphorus (Olsen-P) in biosluury
- Total carbon and nitrogen in biosluury
- Total phosphorus in biosluury
- pH
- Volatile fatty acids in bioslurry
Water testing:
- Nitrate, phosphorus and ammonium-N
- Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and dissolved nitrogen (DN)
- pH
