The microBIOMETER® was 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
Your soil is a unique mixture of sand, silt, clay, and organic matter. The particular make-up of your soil determines its color, texture, and nutrient storage capacity. Knowing your soil’s texture and nutrient storage capacity is important when deciding how much and how often to feed and water your plants.
Both microbial biomass and respiration are parameters used to assess soil health. Soil respiration is the measure of the carbon dioxide produced by the microbes in a given weight of soil while microbial biomass is the measure of the mass of microbes- both active and dormant. Microbial biomass (MB) is
The rise of global carbon dioxide levels has called on countries, businesses, and organizations to set goals and limits on how much carbon emissions they can produce over the succeeding years. Several international agreements have directed more significant action, most notably the Paris Agreement governing the fight against climate change.
Seasonal dynamics are a major driver of soil microbial communities. Much like you and I, microbes are more active during some seasons, and more dormant during others. This can be attributed to the different responses microbes have to nutrient inputs, climatic conditions, and other soil properties. As there are a
You’ve probably read how important it is for your soil to have a large, diverse microbial population, but how do you know that all those microbes are good? Well to start, a healthy and optimal microbial population in your soil will always have a mixture of good and bad microbes.
This is an abridged version of Dr. Judith Fitzpatrick’s talk at last December’s Acres U.S.A. Eco-Ag conference. Article also featured in the April 2022 issue of Acres U.S.A. magazine. When a grower first goes organic, they often have one field that’s organic and, right next to it, a field that
A teaspoon of healthy soil contains billions of microbes. Microbes feed the plants, strengthen their roots, and increase their yields. A plant sends signals to attract the microbes it needs at any given moment. In chemical-free agriculture, there is a good marriage between plants and microbes. In a complex, self-regulating
microBIOMETER® can tell you if you are increasing the nutrient value and disease resistance of your crop. A Rodale study showed greatly increased levels of the vitamins and minerals in sustainably farmed soils as opposed to mineral fertilized crops. And at Rodale, the sustainable practice yields are the same as
Calibration of microBIOMETER® to units of µg microbial carbon / gram soil The gold standard of laboratory soil microbial biomass testing is Chloroform Fumigation and Extraction (CFE). The multiple steps, time, and labor involved with CFE require pricing at up to $500 per sample. CFE works by comparing the difference
microBIOMETER® is the only non-laboratory test for F:B. The methods of measuring F:B ratio give very different values 1-11. The Gold Standard for estimating fungal biomass is microscopy, which calculates fungal biovolume. Note that microBIOMETER® detects the same range as microscopy- not surprising as it was validated by correlation with
Nature article reports that microbial biomass estimates by microBIOMETER® correlates with soil health and yield stability. The microBIOMETER® soil test was used to report microbial biomass in a recent Nature publication*. Scientists Dr. Judith Fitzpatrick and Dr. Brady Trexler of microBIOMETER® collaborated with a University of Tennessee team headed by