What does N/A or (<) mean on my Report?

The expression N/A means Not Applicable. A value is Not Applicable when it is considered to be inaccurate. 

When is a value inaccurate?

A value can be inaccurate for several reasons:

1. Something went wrong during the measurement e.g. for the xrf a cold  gain measurement was performed (warming up time for the xrf was less than 1 hour).
2. The soil sample was taken from a deeper level than 0-20 cm.
3. The soil sample is very different compared to the samples in our database.

When you scan a soil sample it will be automatically compared to the samples in our global soil database. From this database we calculate the level of each element and the corresponding accuracy of the measurement. If the accuracy of a measurement is outside our thresholds, then N/A will be displayed instead of a value.

Additionally, what doesn ‘smaller than’ (<) mean?

In addition to N/A you might find a ‘smaller than’ (<) sign on your report. This simply means that the measured valued is below the detection value and therefore is not shown on your report.

What to do when an element is reported as N/A or <?

If an element on your report is shown as N/A or <, it is nothing to be concerned about. If this happens on a frequent basis you are welcome to contact support@soilcares.com in case of any questions.