We first had the pleasure of working with Briana Alfaro and Soul Fire Farm in 2021 when they began testing soil with farmers in their network as part of their SARE research project, Soil Carbon Capture for Diverse Farmers; Black, Latinx, Asian, Indigenous and other farmers and farm workers of color take the lead in testing soil carbon sequestration strategies and measurement protocols and disseminate those findings to the farming community in both English and Spanish.
Every two years the Soul Fire Farm team takes a closer look at the soil ecosystem and assesses how healthy their soil is. They do this by performing a series of in-field tests. Long before the western study of soil science, Indigenous communities practiced–and still practice–methods of evaluating soil health using characteristics such as color or the presence of specific plants or insects that tell us something about the system as a whole. On their soil testing days, they count the number of earthworms, perform a slake test to observe aggregate stability, look at soil color as an indicator of organic matter, and use the microBIOMETER® field kit to assess soil biology.
You can learn more in their Guide to In-Field Soil Health Measurement Protocols: How Alive is My Soil (English) & ¿Qué tan vivo está mi suelo? (Español), and by watching their Liberation on Land skill share videos: Soil Carbon part 1, Soil Carbon part 2 & Investigating Soil with an Auger.
BioHub Solutions, an Australian company that provides biological solutions to the agricultural industry, has incorporated microBIOMETER® into their business.
BioHub Solutions believes measurements should be simple whenever possible to ensure their implementation and repeatability. microBIOMETER® has become an integral part of the BioPlan processes. Growers also like it because it provides instant feedback and accountability for Biohub’s biological strategies.
BioHub Solutions, an Australian company that provides biological solutions to the agricultural industry, has incorporated microBIOMETER® into their business. BioHub Solutions believes measurements should be simple whenever possible to ensure their implementation and repeatability. microBIOMETER® has become an integral part of the BioPlan processes. Growers also like it because it provides instant feedback and accountability for Biohub’s biological strategies.
“Our trees continue to do well against the control in areas such as average plant height growth, trunk to height ratio, and fungi to bacteria ratio utilizing microBIOMETER®. This is pleasing so far and we will continue measurements.”
Green bean study in North Queensland.
Green bean trial in North Queensland (above). Initial samples taken 2 weeks before harvest. So far overall bean numbers are 36% improved over control. More importantly, marketable sized numbers are improved by 52%. This is where the margin is for the grower. Microbial biomass is also 28% higher than control which is pleasing. Looking forward to the full harvest figures if they reflect the initial samples taken.
Olive rootstock (below). The data has indicated on average, a 17% increase in stem diameter over the control. Root weight improvements of 47%, biology biomass improvements of 46% and fungal to bacterial ratio improvements of 56% over control. This illustrated that the BioHub solution achieved results in the manner the team had predicted. Photo depicts an example of the treated plug on the left and control on the right.
Olive rootstock – treated
Olive rootstock – control
Hypatia I is an interdisciplinary and multigenerational team of Catalan female scientists who journeyed to the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) in Utah in April 2023 for an analog mission to determine if there is life on Mars. At MDRS, they performed high-quality space-related research in a simulated environment, in which they also conducted outreach and science-based communication programs. Most importantly, their work aims to inspire the next generation of young girls interested in pursuing STEM-related careers.
For about 2 weeks, the Hypatia I crew conducted their research while contributing to the understanding of what living and working on Mars would be like. Throughout their time at MDRS, each crew member conducted experiments relating to their individual specialties. Some of the experiments included the development of an iron-based battery using materials in the environment surrounding MDRS, and a comparative seed experiment to study the potential effects of space travel on tomato seeds.
Additionally, the crew collected soil samples from the surrounding desert and, using the microBIOMETER®, tested the soil for evidence of life. The team found that the microBIOMETER® could detect life in 7 of the 11 different desert plots. While the microbial biomass levels were low, with a range of 50-120 ugC/g, the existence of any bacteria or fungi was exciting to see. Hypatia I’s analog mission shows promise for future studies relating to space biology.
Hypatia IÂ is an interdisciplinary and multigenerational team of Catalan female scientists who journeyed to the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) in Utah in April 2023 for an analog mission to determine if there is life on Mars. At MDRS, they performed high-quality space-related research in a simulated environment, in which they also conducted outreach and science-based communication programs. Most importantly, their work aims to inspire the next generation of young girls interested in pursuing STEM-related careers.
Andrew Turnbull is the owner of SouthWest Agronomy Ltd (SWA) located in Tavistock, England. His company offers advisory and consultancy services to golf courses and sports turf facilities.
One issue the company faced was how to prove to their customers that their recommended treatments were actually having a positive influence on the soil microbes. Other than the obvious visual effects of the quality of the playing surface, which can often be open to interpretation, Andrew wanted to prove that other factors have improved performance such as extra or different maintenance operations. Andrew found regular soil microbial analysis to be expensive with only a few laboratories locally performing accurate testing.
“microBIOMETER® changed the game!” – Andrew Turnbull
Now, in addition to comprehensive nutrient and microscopic analysis, the company incorporates regular microbial testing with microBIOMETER® into their program. This enables them to give their clients confidence that they are implementing changes that not only have a positive visual effect, but a measurable and direct one as well.
About SouthWest Agronomy Ltd (SWA).SWA focuses on the little understood aspect of how turfgrass plants interact with the rootzone biology and how the plant’s metabolism is affected by biotic and abiotic stresses. When a turfgrass plant is healthy it excretes carbohydrates, proteins and other exudates that feed microbes. This increases mineralization of nutrients, enhances disease protection, and causes organic matter recycling. SWA’s Bio Nutrition Program restores the balance between the plant and soil microbes which is lost when turfgrass management relies on chemical fertilizers, and/or is under continual stress from maintenance operations, and/or has less than optimum environmental conditions (e.g. heat, cold, shade), and regular use by players.
Andrew Turnbull is the owner of SouthWest Agronomy Ltd (SWA) located in Tavistock, England. His company offers advisory and consultancy services to golf courses and sports turf facilities.
One issue the company faced was how to prove to their customers that their recommended treatments were actually having a positive influence on the soil microbes.
microBIOMETER® is excited to announce a new partnership with the Save Soil Foundation, a global, non-profit organization. The Save Soil Foundation (SSF) was initiated as a part of the #SaveSoil campaign which has committed to solving our planet’s desertification crisis through sustainable soil management practices.
The [microBIOMETER®vwas developed with the need in mind to deliver a device that could be manufactured very reasonably so that it could service the whole world. For over 50 years scientists have known that microbes are the best indicator of soil health.
One of the common methods used for determining soil microbial biomass is the Chloroform Fumigation Extraction (CFE) test. However, being a costly lab-based test makes it an unattainable option for many.
Amy Gardner of Kalispell, Montana serves farmers in the Flathead Valley as an agronomy coach through her business, Lower Valley Consulting Inc.
Amy has been scouting soil health trials as part of gathering third-party research for the company AgriGro. Farmers have been applying AgriGro’s prebiotic technology to boost soil health and in turn grow more productive and nutrient-rich crops.
