{"id":232525,"date":"2026-04-22T08:40:10","date_gmt":"2026-04-22T18:40:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=232525"},"modified":"2026-04-22T08:40:10","modified_gmt":"2026-04-22T18:40:10","slug":"soil-testing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2026\/04\/22\/soil-testing\/","title":{"rendered":"<abbr>UH<\/abbr> soil service center reopens with free testing for flood-affected farmers"},"content":{"rendered":"<span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Reading time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 3<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutes<\/span><\/span><figure id=\"attachment_232524\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-232524\" style=\"width: 676px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/manoa-ctahr-soil-testing.jpg\" alt=\"bag of soil\" width=\"676\" height=\"381\" class=\"size-full wp-image-232524\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/manoa-ctahr-soil-testing.jpg 676w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/manoa-ctahr-soil-testing-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/manoa-ctahr-soil-testing-130x73.jpg 130w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 676px) 100vw, 676px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-232524\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><abbr>ADSC<\/abbr> has reopened to serve <span lang=\"haw\">Â鶹´«Ã½&#8217;s<\/span> ag community with modern services.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The University of <span lang=\"haw\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> at <span lang=\"haw\">M&#257;noa<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/cms.ctahr.hawaii.edu\/\">College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resilience<\/a> (<abbr title=\"College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resilience\">CTAHR<\/abbr>) is reopening the <a href=\"https:\/\/cms.ctahr.hawaii.edu\/adsc\/Services\">Agricultural Diagnostic Service Center<\/a> (<abbr title=\"Agricultural Diagnostic Service Center\">ADSC<\/abbr>). Local farmers will once again have access to soil and plant testing here in <span lang=\"haw\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> at a reasonable cost, instead of sending samples to the <abbr title=\"United States\">U.S.<\/abbr> continent.<\/p>\n<p>The center\u2019s reopening also allows <abbr>CTAHR<\/abbr> to offer free soil and plant testing through July 21, 2026 to farmers whose land and crops were affected by Kona low flooding in March and April.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_232520\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-232520\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/manoa-ctahr-soil-testing-2-300x169.jpg\" alt=\"person looking at computer screen\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-232520\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/manoa-ctahr-soil-testing-2-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/manoa-ctahr-soil-testing-2-130x73.jpg 130w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/manoa-ctahr-soil-testing-2.jpg 676w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-232520\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><abbr>CTAHR<\/abbr> is working to add heavy metal testing, animal health diagnostics, and food nutrient content analysis for food product labeling.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Every affected farmer can submit up to three free samples for each of the following services:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Soil nutrient analysis: To determine if essential minerals were leached.<\/li>\n<li>Plant tissue nutrient analysis: To assess the current nutrient uptake and health of surviving crops.<\/li>\n<li>Plant disease diagnostics: To identify plant pathogens\/outbreaks that may impact crops following flooding.<\/li>\n<li>Insect identification: To monitor for shifts in pest populations following the storms.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The <abbr>ADSC<\/abbr> will continue to provide soil and plant testing services at reasonable prices to farmers who were not affected by the floods.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The reopening is a pivotal moment in <abbr>CTAHR<\/abbr>\u2019s mission to support stakeholders and food security across the state,&rdquo; said <abbr>CTAHR<\/abbr> Dean Parwinder Grewal. &ldquo;Fortunately the timing of the reopening also means we can deliver more support to farmers recovering from the floods. We are providing these tests at no cost for the next three months to help our agricultural partners get back on their feet.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_232522\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-232522\" style=\"width: 214px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/manoa-ctahr-soil-testing-4-214x300.jpg\" alt=\"test tube in lab\" width=\"214\" height=\"300\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-232522\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/manoa-ctahr-soil-testing-4-214x300.jpg 214w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/manoa-ctahr-soil-testing-4-93x130.jpg 93w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/manoa-ctahr-soil-testing-4.jpg 250w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 214px) 100vw, 214px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-232522\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><abbr>ADSC<\/abbr> has modern testing services with recommendations from local experts who know <span lang=\"haw\">Â鶹´«Ã½&#8217;s<\/span> soils and climate.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&ldquo;<abbr>ADSC<\/abbr> has reopened with an improved customer experience, including online payments, rapid turnaround of results, and interpretation of results and recommendations by <abbr>CTAHR<\/abbr> experts,&rdquo; Parwinder said.<\/p>\n<p>Brian Miyamoto, executive director of the Hawaii Farm Bureau, noted, &ldquo;The reopening of the <abbr>ADSC<\/abbr>, along with three months of free testing, comes at a crucial time and helps farmers move forward with recovery and replanting. <abbr>CTAHR<\/abbr> is truly stepping up for our farmers, and we appreciate their leadership and commitment to supporting <span lang=\"haw\">Â鶹´«Ã½\u2019s<\/span> agricultural community during this critical time.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><abbr>CTAHR<\/abbr> is working to further expand its services to include seed testing, heavy metal testing, animal health diagnostics and food nutrient content analysis for food product labeling. <abbr>ADSC<\/abbr> is also expanding its seed production capacity and will add clean seedling production, which are young plants that are free from germs or disease.<\/p>\n<h2>Order soil, plant tests online<\/h2>\n<p>Farmers can order tests, find sampling instructions, and a list of <abbr>CTAHR<\/abbr> facilities on <span lang=\"haw\">O&#699;ahu,<\/span> <span lang=\"haw\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> Island, Maui, <span lang=\"haw\">Moloka&#699;i<\/span> and <span lang=\"haw\">Kaua&#699;i<\/span> accepting samples at the <a href=\"https:\/\/cms.ctahr.hawaii.edu\/adsc\/Services\"><abbr>ADSC<\/abbr> website<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>Temporary in-person collection site until July 21, 2026<\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/manoa-ctahr-soil-testing-3-300x169.jpg\" alt=\"shovel\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-232521\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/manoa-ctahr-soil-testing-3-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/manoa-ctahr-soil-testing-3-130x73.jpg 130w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/manoa-ctahr-soil-testing-3.jpg 676w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>To increase accessibility for <span lang=\"haw\">O&#699;ahu\u2019s<\/span> heavily affected north shore community, a temporary collection site has been set up at Twin Bridge Farms in Waialua:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Soil and plant samples can be dropped off at Twin Bridge on Mondays between 8 a.m and noon<\/li>\n<li>Soil samples can also be dropped off on Thursdays between 8 a.m. and noon.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Farmers should call <abbr>CTAHR<\/abbr> at (808) 453-6050 or <a href=\"mailto:ugc@hawaii.edu\">ugc@hawaii.edu<\/a> to confirm they are dropping off samples at Twin Bridge Farms.<\/p>\n<h2>Permanent collection sites<\/h2>\n<p>Drop off sites for samples on <span lang=\"haw\">O&#699;ahu<\/span> are:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The Urban Garden Center in Pearl City on Mondays from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and Tuesdays from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., 955 Kamehameha Hwy., behind the Home Depot.<\/li>\n<li>Farmers should contact (808) 453-6050 or <a href=\"mailto:ugc@hawaii.edu\">ugc@hawaii.edu<\/a> to confirm they plan to drop off samples.<\/li>\n<li><abbr title=\"University of Hawaii\">UH<\/abbr> <span lang=\"haw\">M&#257;noa\u2019s<\/span> Sherman Lab, room 115, weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., 1910 East-West Rd., Honolulu HI 96822.<\/li>\n<li>Farmers should call (808) 956-5437 or <a href=\"mailto:adsc@hawaii.edu\">adsc@hawaii.edu<\/a> to confirm they plan to drop off samples.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Visit the <abbr>ADSC<\/abbr> <a href=\"https:\/\/cms.ctahr.hawaii.edu\/adsc\/Services\">website for a complete list<\/a> of drop off locations, including the neighbor islands.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Local farmers will once again have access to soil and plant testing here in <span lang=\"haw\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> at a reasonable cost.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":232524,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[222,212,1409,1314,73,432,9],"class_list":["post-232525","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community","tag-agriculture","tag-college-of-tropical-agriculture-and-human-resilience","tag-disaster-emergency","tag-manoa-sustainability","tag-sustainability","tag-tropical-plant-and-soil-sciences","tag-uh-manoa","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/manoa-ctahr-soil-testing.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/232525","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=232525"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/232525\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":232774,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/232525\/revisions\/232774"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/232524"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=232525"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=232525"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=232525"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}