Soil health is the onion agricultural scientists are continuing to peel back and explore.
It is a field that studies the living rhizosphere, not as just a mere medium for seed germination, but a vital element for crop production. By farming the soil to create the optimal conditions for plant growth, growers can maximize crop output.
A multitude of soil health indicators and testing methods can be applied to track soil conditions. Organic matter, carbon-to-nitrogen ratios, soil respiration, nitrogen mineralization and microbial biomass are some of the most common soil health indices. However, a bottleneck currently exists between soil health testing and the ability to translate these data into productive practices.
AgriThority® is committed to opening that bottleneck. Our expert scientists continue to research and push boundaries to provide innovative solutions for our clients.
“The use of soil health metrics as part of a management practice requires much more study,” said Daniel Davidson, Ph.D., Product Development Manager at AgriThority. Davidson said that the science required to extrapolate broad recommendations from current tests, such as how much fertilizer to cut back on a field, has not been achieved.
Dave Guthrie, Ph.D., Senior Field Research Scientist at AgriThority agrees: “The soil remains a black box without much scientific information.” Guthrie added AgriThority is applying soil health testing methods to evaluate the responsiveness of the soil and seedlings to biologicals.
“Our role is to take the science that has been developed by companies, large and small, and turn it into marketable product for the client, but more importantly, a productive and profitable value to the farmer,” Guthrie said. “When we can demonstrate to the client the true value of their product, and, in turn, the client can demonstrate that value to the farmer, it makes both better and more reliable partners to the end-user, the consumer.”
AgriThority anticipates that new layers of testing will further optimize development of products to impact soil condition that may directly improve quality or yield of production. AgriThority is actively engaged with development services for innovative technologies in this evolving frontier of soil health management.
For information about how AgriThority® applies product development experience and scientific protocols to novel technologies, contact Dan Davidson, Ph.D. Product Development Manager at dan.davidson@agrithority.com or call +1-816-891-0916.
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Chihiro Kai, Content and Editorial Intern at AgriThority®, is a senior at the University of Kansas, double majoring in Journalism and Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Organismal Biology.