New Analyis to Unlock Soil Health

NEW ANALYSIS AIMS TO UNLOCK SOIL HEALTH Written by Dan Robinson from Eurofins We have created new soil tests that countless applications for agriculture. antibiotics or parasitize pathogens. will help farmers and agronomists We are therefore excited to make all They can also compete with pathogenic understand their soil in a more detailed of these tests available to farmers and fungi for space and food. Actinomycetes way than ever before. The tests have growers across the UK and Ireland. prefer airy conditions and develop poorly been launched in the UK and Ireland to provide chemical, physical, and biological The details behind Soil Life in compacted soil or acid conditions (pH <5). insight, offering farmers a better way to monitor, manage and improve the health Monitoring The biological parameters are based on Total fungi and saprophytes and fertility of their soil. the phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs) that Fungi cause degradation of complex Three new products are now available to UK and Irish agriculture. Fertilisation Manager®, Soil Crop Monitor® and Soil Life Monitor® offer the most comprehensive way to analyse and improve soil health. Fertilisation Manager measures soil fertility. This includes the chemical values of macro and are present. PLFAs occur in the cell walls of living organisms. Different functional groups have a unique composition of PLFAs. By measuring the composition of the PLFAs, a fingerprint of the microbial community can be given. The target values are corrected based on the organic matter percentage. forms of organic material, form stable aggregates, excrete organic acids which improve the availability of some nutrients and increase disease resistance through competition or predation. Fungi are stimulated by recalcitrant materials with a high C/N ratio such as straw and compost. micronutrients. Soil pH and the overall structure of the soil is also analysed in conjunction with biological components such as fungi and bacteria. Total microbial biomass The sum of all PLFAs is an indication of the amount of microbes. Because PLFAs are rapidly degraded after an Mycorrhiza Arbuscular mycorrhizas are a special group of fungi. They live in symbiosis with plant roots and thereby increase the

The microbial biomass from the organism dies, it mainly represents the root surface. In exchange for sugars, the sample will help farmers to understand living microbial biomass. The microbial plant receives water and nutrients such the sensitivity of the soil to conventional biomass can be increased by adding as phosphorus and potassium. Crops farming methods such as ploughing. effective organic matter such as that are not able to form a symbiosis The number and nature of the bacteria compost, solid manure, green manures with arb. mycorrhiza are crucifers (e.g. present in a soil sample will also facilitate or cultivating grains (incl. straw). Other cabbage and yellow mustard) and the the accurate calculation of what nutrients examples of measures are reduced soil goosefoot family (e.g. spinach and beet). need to be added to the soil to optimise tillage, permanently covering the soil, A high available phosphate content will plant health and growth. temporary grassland or less ploughing reduce the development of mycorrhizas.

Soil Crop Monitor will provide the most up of permanent grassland. Protozoa accurate means of testing soil during a growing season. Unlike some tests, Soil Crop Monitor analyses both the soil and the plant. This measures the plant available nutrients and the nutrients absorbed by the crop. Total bacteria Certain groups of bacteria break down (simple) organic material, fix nutrients, bind atmospheric nitrogen, convert ammonium into nitrate nitrogen, form stable aggregates, increase disease Protozoa are single-cell micro-organisms that contain a cell nucleus (eukaryotes). The most important function of protozoa is to make nutrients available to the plant by "grazing" on microorganisms (mainly bacteria). The activity of protozoa is Soil Life Monitor resistance and form breakdown products highly dependent on the presence of Soil Life Monitor determines the total microbial biomass, fungi, bacteria and protozoa. It also identifies some that can weaken or kill pathogens. Bacteria are stimulated by easily degradable materials with a low C/N moisture in the soil. The radius of action of protozoa is limited to water films and water-filled pores. physical characteristics such as pH ratio such as slurry. Fungi/bacteria ratio and the quality of organic matter. PLFA (phospholipid fatty acids) found in soil can be measured to provide a fingerprint of the soil content. PLFAs are degraded quickly in the soil, so the analysis gives an indication of the amount of living biomass. This is the most detailed routine analysis of soil life available and has Actinomycetes Actinomycetes are a group of Gram(+) bacteria that form threads that resemble fungal hyphae and are able to break down complex materials. Actinomycetes are important for disease resistance, because some species can excrete The fungi/bacteria ratio indicates the proportion between the fungal and bacterial biomass (expressed in mg C / kg). In general, undisturbed ecosystems have a higher fungi/bacteria ratio than disturbed systems. Organic and lowinput systems have a higher fungi/ bacteria ratio compared to enriched

conventional systems. Disturbances such as tillage, removal of crop residues and grazing can lower the fungi/bacteria ratio. Gram(-)/Gram(+) ratio Grams(+) bacteria are generally larger than Gram(-) bacteria and can form spores. This makes them more resistant to drought and water stress. Gram(+) dominant populations (>1) are more common at the start of the growing season and typically move to a more balanced community when the soil conditions become more favorable throughout the growing season.

Results Unit Result

Biological

Microbial biomass

Total bacteria Gram positive Actinomycetes Gram negative Total fungi Saprophytes Mycorrhiza Protozoa

Fungi/bacteria ratio Gram(+)/Gram(-) ratio PLFA diversity

Physical

Acidity (pH) C-organic Organic matter C/OS-ratio mg PLFA/kg 13

mg PLFA/kg 12 mg PLFA/kg 4,2 mg PLFA/kg 0,8 mg PLFA/kg 8 mg PLFA/kg 2,0 mg PLFA/kg 1,0 mg PLFA/kg 1,1 mg PLFA/kg 0,34

1,2 0,5 3,3

5,5 2,2 4,5 0,49

low rather average rather high low high

PLFA diversity

Organic matter Figure: Quality of the organic matter

The PLFA diversity (Shannon index) is an indicator of the diversity of the soil life. However, the diversity of the PLFAs is not the same as the actual diversity because one unique phospholipid fatty

Organic carbon held in micro-organisms

Microbial biomass Bacterial biomass Fungal biomass

mg C/kg

287 114 134

acid does not represent one species. the diversity. N, P and S. Dynamic organic matter Higher diversity is often related to better stability and resilience. Disturbances, lack Quality of the organic matter contains relatively many N and S, and is easily broken down by microbes. Hereby, of diverse input from food sources and Organic matter mainly consists of C, nutrients are mineralized that become an intensive crop rotation can decrease Page: 1 1202 Hutchinsons TerraMap 180x130 P ART.pdf 1 02/06/2020 15:42 This report has been released under the responsibility of Drs.Ing. J. van Benthum, Business Unit Manager. All our services are covered by our General Conditions. These conditions and/or the Total number of pages: 3 specifications of the analysis methods will be sent to you on request. Eurofins Agro Testing Wageningen BV is not liable for any adverse consequences resulting from the use of test results Report-Id: and/or recommendations supplied by us or on our behalf. 747311/004983153, 03-04-2020 Eurofins Agro Testing Wageningen BV is registered in the RvA register for testing laboratories as described further in the recognition under no. L122 for only the sampling methods and/or the analysis methods.

available for the crop. Stable organic matter contains a relatively large amount of C, and is broken down less fast by microbes. Stable organic matter contributes, among other things, to the processability and looseness of the soil. The quality of the organic matter can be (gradually) adjusted by paying attention to the properties of organic materials (degradability and C/N ratio) such as animal manure, compost and crop residues. Growing insight with soil and crop analyses To provide insight into the functioning of the soil, Eurofins Agro distinguishes between the various fractions in which nutrients are present in the soil: direct available elements, plant available elements, (adsorbed) soil stock and total soil stock. Eurofins Agro supplies various analyses that provide insights into the nutrient reserve in the soil, the condition of the soil and uptake by the crop. The analysis report is always accompanied by crop and soil specific advice.

About Eurofins Agro Eurofins Agro is a leading Agricultural Analytical Services Business with almost 100 years of experience. Our complete package of innovative analyses and clear, tailored advice help you adjust the production process on your farm and optimise your systems. In doing so your crops get exactly what they really need and you are assured of the highest possible yield and quality, at the lowest possible cost. In addition to this, the insight we provide allows you to farm in ways that are sustainable and with maximum environmental benefit. Eurofins Agro is part of Eurofins Scientific: a leading global laboratory organisation with more than 800 laboratories and 45,000 employees in 47 countries. We offer over 200,000 analytical methods and have a presence in Europe, USA, Asia-Pacific and South America . We provide innovative analyses, accurate and upto-date data and clear advice. Our products and services are the result of practical knowledge, supported by scientific research. In short... we provide you with growing insight! Insight from which you reap the benefits.