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A new soil test from Solvita called SLAN reveals a hidden pool of organic nitrogen that is “just beneath the surface, and seems indicative of soil improvement”, says developer Will Brinton.  The SLAN test like the Solvita CO2-test takes only minutes to set up and is read after 24hrs with a digital reader. Continuous cultivation of soils depletes humus and soil biology, and estimates are that USA soils are presently 3

The practice of fertilizing soils based on hoped-for crop yields while ignoring nutrients already present in the soil or about to be released by biological processes may be directly contributing to a potentially explosive situation of algal blooms on the Great Lakes – and other places. Images that NOAA has released over a 10-year period for Lake Erie show that in 2011 the algal bloom was the most extensive R

Soil Health is a new paradigm in no-till farming, and very evidently a fast-growing grassroots movement that “threatens” to unite all farmers. Attendees at a farm workshop in Carrol, Ohio said they wished the movement will be recognized not only by no-tillers but organic and conventional farmers as well. More than 300 persons converged on David Brandt’s no-till corn, bean and grain farm on April 10 to lea

A recent research project conducted at Woods End shows that the simple-to-perform Solvita test for compost gives essentially identical information about compost aging as does more expensive IR (infrared) analysis.  The funded research project compares two types of compost (manure vs yard-waste) over a 180-day period, subjecting the piles to quadruplicate tests to see how various indexes change with time. Like many bi

Woods End announced the release of its new Model 700 Solvita DCR  which incorporates upgrades for  new soil test capabilities and improved performance with electronic integration.  The upgrade is being timed with NAPT’s 2013 acceptance of the Solvita CO2-burst test as a provisional lab method. A new channel has been added for field (basal) CO2 respiration testing, coinciding with USDA-NRCS’s new “So

An informal study conducted by Woods End during the past 3 years examining quality of Maine manures used for compost, may have mushroomed into a focus on herbicide carryover specific to horse manures. When Vermont reported a case of compost chemical contamination, Woods End alerted the Chittenden compost facility about carryover risk of herbicides specifically in horse manures and their feedstuffs.  “The result

Farmers across America have increasing access to soil biology testing thanks in part to Solvita. Presently more than 40 soil labs* now offer Solvita CO2 Respiration as part of their services. Many of these lab are also reporting Solvita data in the ALP program. “The labs are now creatively incorporating Solvita into their reporting programs, showing a diversity that reflects regions, soil types and customer-far

Studies of plant root growth in soils treated with amendments of varying chemical and biological stability reveal that plants respond in a more complex and holistic fashion than customarily believed.  Brinton’s team at Woods End has been using root (rhizotron) chambers to observe how fertilizers such as biochar, mature and immature compost and chemical NPK affect the whole plant’s development. A current study with to

The compost industry may be promoting stability and maturity tests for compost that are neither current with published science nor consistent with emerging soil markets,- this in a new report by Woods End Labs presented to Sustainable Sites Initiative.  The report examines the origins of commonly accepted compost stability guidelines in the USA and Europe, highlighting the near complete absence of calibration of thes

On the verge of a new growing season, the “what’s new” in soil testing labs is the Solvita CO2-Burst test. Agronomist Bruce Weidner (Weidner Agronomy Services, Illinois) writes “the Solvita test is intriguing because of its potential to be more accurate than other tests, plus the fact that N management is key to my growers’ profits. This is a test that could set me & my business apar

According to Will Brinton, soil labs may be reluctant to adopt soil biology tests due to complicated outdated (and costly) methods. “It’s too bad since this is impeding the country getting on with much needed soil quality assessment”. One older method, still sometimes used, measures microbial biomass by an indirect process called fumigation-incubation (FI). FI is complicated and requires use of toxi

What’s the inherent yield potential of soil? How long does it take compost to alter it?  A collaboration of the Highmoor Agricultural Experiment Station and Woods End Labs utilizes two types of compost (leaves, biosolids) at 3 rates and compares soil and plant tests designed to predict nitrogen sufficiency: Solvita-CO2-burst, PSNT, 7d-Nmin, Chlorophyll and stalk-nitrate. The project is now in its 2nd year with

Many soil labs are adding the Solvita test to their repertoire as a means to reveal soil biological activity and N-mineralization potential. The test was originally designed for soils with medium to low organic matter, as is (unfortunately) now the case with most farmed soils in America. What about soil respiration for high OM soils? Will the range that Solvita is calibrated for work? Collaborative research between W