Can Grow Crop Solutions, a company focused on providing market-leading fluid solutions and service, has been incorporating microBIOMTER® into their business with positive results. Shawn Brenneman, Director of Commercial Growth & Strategy at Can Grow, shared a bit about their company and the testing they are performing.
Anelia Marais a research technician at the Department of Agriculture in the Western Cape performed a study evaluating microBIOMETER® and other soil health indicators in three different soils of the Western Cape Province.
There is growing concern about degradation of the health and quality of soil, due to, amongst other things, climate change and increasing pressure on farmers to produce more food. In order to monitor something, it must be measured.
Amanda Foxon-Hill, a chemist by trade, is working with Mid Lachlan Landcare in the region of NSW, Australia. Mid Lachlan Landcare is a community organization committed to the regeneration of land. Their work includes Regenerative Agriculture, Box Gum Woodland Conservation, Superb Parrot Habitat, Community Gardens, Education & more. Cowra is the main town in their Landcare region which consists of various soil profiles. It is rich in farming land with cropping and grazing.
Amanda designed and performed a soil research project funded by the BCT (Biodiversity Conservation Trust). She took soil samples from farms, conservations and public land across the region to map their soil microbiome. Her goal was to see if she could establish a ’normal’ or ’typical’ range of microbes for each type of landscape and soil.
Amanda looked at grazed vs ungrazed land, mono-cropping vs mixed pasture etc. but that was really secondary to the soil geology and microbe link as there was a short window to complete this round of tests and farm management decisions such as what crop to grow, for instance, requires testing over multiple time points.
As part of the project, Amanda trialed microBIOMETER®. Microbes are essential for soil fertility and almost all plants work cooperatively with microbes to access the nutrients they need to thrive. The relationship between plants and microbes is dynamic; changing with the season, how the land is managed, plant species and life-stage, climate and the soil structure and composition.
“Overall, we feel this project has successfully delivered insights into how the Mid Lachlan region’s soils microbiome functions with respect to landscape features and management decisions although it’s clear there’s still a lot more work to do. Also, after putting the microBIOMETER® through its paces we believe it’s a useful tool for those looking to gain a deeper understanding of their soil. Our advice would be to use the microBIOMETER® or similar microbiology assessment tool/ protocol alongside your existing soil testing tools, at regular intervals to monitor the effect management decisions have on the soil microbiota over time.”
Amanda Foxon-Hill, a chemist by trade, is working with Mid Lachlan Landcare in the region of NSW, Australia. Mid Lachlan Landcare is a community organization committed to the regeneration of land. Their work includes Regenerative Agriculture, Box Gum Woodland Conservation, Superb Parrot Habitat, Community Gardens, Education & more.
Ithaca Central High School science teacher Robert Tuori is conducting a study to examine short term changes in soil health at Nook And Cranny Farm, a diverse vegetable farm, as an independent research project for the USDA Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Fellows.
Utilizing both the microBIOMETER® and Cornell Soil Health Assessment, Robert and students will compare tilled vs non-tilled soil in 4 crop beds, each containing either brassica or cucurbit, and flipping crops midseason.
Welcome to the Becker Elementary School Garden, where every student has their own special space to grow delicious vegetables, herbs, and edible plants for themselves and their families!
With the help of microBIOMETER®’s cutting-edge technology, students are exploring the amazing world of living soil and its secret inhabitants – microorganisms!
These tiny superheroes work together to create a thriving ecosystem, breaking down nutrients and making them available to plants. In the Becker Green Classroom, students are diving deeper into microbiology with miniature microscopes, examining soil, pond water, and compost up close to discover the diverse community of microorganisms living beneath our feet.
“With microBIOMETER®, we can easily test and analyze our garden soils. By making soil science fun and accessible, we’re empowering our students to become the next generation of environmental stewards, conscious of the microscopic world that shapes our planet’s health. Join us on this exciting journey, as we cultivate a love for learning, sustainability, and the incredible world of soil microbiology!”
Ithaca Central High School science teacher Robert Tuori is conducting a study to examine short term changes in soil health at Nook And Cranny Farm, a diverse vegetable farm, as an independent research project for the USDA Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Fellows.
Utilizing both the microBIOMETER® and Cornell Soil Health Assessment, Robert and students will compare tilled vs non-tilled soil in 4 crop beds, each containing either brassica or cucurbit, and flipping crops midseason. The beds were covered in October of last year with a cocktail of winter rye, vetch, and triticale. These cover crops were grown until early May, then covered with a black silage tarp for one month. The brassicas were planted into hay mulch while the cucurbits were planted into biodegradable plastic mulch.
Robert is particularly interested in looking at easy, on-farm testing, as well as lab analysis. They will conduct microBIOMETER® testing on each bed three times throughout the season: before planting, midseason before second planting, and at the end of the season. For the lab based analysis, they will measure nutrient levels in each bed at the beginning and at the end of the study, as well as perform the Cornell Soil Health Assessment on all four beds at the end of the study.
Emil Racelis, a 6th grader in McAllen, Texas, utilized microBIOMETER® in his science fair project at IMAS (International Museum of Art & Science) and was awarded 3rd Place in the middle school division!
As a control, Emil tested three different store bought bagged soils with microBIOMETER®; top soil, organic potting soil and commercial potting soil. The top soil had a very low levels of microbes while the organic and commercial potting soils had a high level of microbes. Emil then collected soil samples in his community garden from areas with high plant diversity (five or more species in the sample plot) and areas of low plant diversity (areas with two or less species per sample plot).
His hypothesis was that areas with higher plant diversity would have more microbes, but that is not what he found. There were low/medium levels of microbes in all the plots sampled, therefore, no solid conclusion could be made. Emil believes the results stemmed from drought conditions they were currently experiencing in Texas. The garden was watered sometimes, but not that much. Emil would like to do more microBIOMETER® soil testing in the future during a season with more rain.
“I had a lot of fun using the tests and I got some pretty cool results even though they were not what I expected. I found the process really interesting and the test easy to perform. I hope I get to use microBIOMETER® again some day.” -Emil Racelis
“Emil really got into this project, and was fascinated by what he found, which only leads to more questions! Now he really wants to do more experimenting to see what helps the soil microbes. We have a garden, and he is talking about testing the results of compost tea, and other organic additives, as well as looking at the affect of drought vs rainy season. We may have to save up for more tests! You got us hooked! It was so cool to see him using the tests independently. I love how user-friendly your system is.” – Alison, Emil’s mom
Please click here to view more science fair projects using microBIOMETER®. If you would like to include microBIOMETER® in your next school or science fair project, contact us for details!
PADK is an NGO dedicated to building capacity in regenerative agriculture techniques and soil science research. Their main initiative and focus, the Tropical Agriculture Research and Training Station (TARTS), is in the small village of Ngotto, in the East Region of Cameroon. The company’s objectives are to:
• Produce highly biodynamic and performant soil amendments.
• Restart the microbial activity of tropical soils, increasing nutrient availability, and alleviating the pressures of chemical fertilizers and pesticides.
• Increase local small-holder farmers’ knowledge of soil ecology and provide them with tangible resources to improve and regenerate their farmland.
A variety of logistical factors impeded their workflow while utilizing microscopy in their labs. Sampling was infrequent and irregular, tracking the F: B progression was difficult, and correlating with climate data and environmental parameters was near impossible.
In early 2022, Founder, Mr. Edmond Nader, came across the microBIOMETER®. Since then, they have accelerated their R&D efforts, and their results have benefited from more consistent monitoring. The benefits they have discovered while using microBIOMETER®:
• Process samples, measure the F:B ratio, and record the results using the mobile app’s Data Capture functionality, in about 20 minutes. The data capture has been a very welcome surprise as its simple to follow the evolution of substrates tested with the database and share results.
• Correlate data from other experiments and compare against our microscopy results.
• Accurately track the shift from bacterial dominance (i.e. thermal phase) to fungal dominance in their composting efforts.
“The microBIOMETER® has been an invaluable tool. It has helped our organization to better document results and follow the evolution of our efforts. We have found results to be accurate against most of our microscopy verifications and we trust the results. We are eager to share our experience with this tool with others and promote its use in sub-Saharan Africa, tropical climates, and elsewhere. There are few useful field tests available, especially useful in such rural areas as we work, the microBIOMETER® has been a very welcome addition to our laboratory and field studies.”
PADK] is an NGO dedicated to building capacity in regenerative agriculture techniques and soil science research. Their main initiative and focus, the **Tropical Agriculture Research and Training Station (TARTS)**, is in the small village of Ngotto, in the East Region of Cameroon. The company’s objectives are to:
