Soil Biology Testing

Soil biology testing is a newer analysis that assesses a soil’s composition and fitness for a given crop. Knowing the biological activity of the soil can help predict nutrient availability and track the impact of soil management decisions on soil health and crop yield. Learn about the available tests for assessing soil biology and how they can be beneficial on your farm.
Video Contents
0:00 Intro
1:16 Haney Test
1:58 PLFA Test
2:35 Genomics or DNA Sequencing
3:20 Microscopy
3:56 Conclusion
Sources
-Ohio State University Extension. “The Haney Test for Soil Health.” C.O.R.N. Newsletter. July 2019. agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/co...
-Ohio State University Extension. “The PLFA Soil Health Test.” C.O.R.N. Newsletter. September 2019. agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/co...
-Edoardo A. C. Costantini and Stefano Mocali. “Soil Health, soil genetic horizons and biodiversity.” Journal of Plant Nutrition and Soil Science. Volume 185, Issue 1, p. 24-34. February 8, 2022. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/1...
-Decode 6. “What do Microbes do in the Soil?” July 6, 2023 decode6.org/articles/what-do-...
-Purdue Extension. “How to Understand and Interpret Soil Health Tests.” Indiana Soil and Water. AY-366-W. June 2018. www.extension.purdue.edu/extm...
-South Dakota Soil Health Coalition. “The Five Principles of Soil Health.” www.sdsoilhealthcoalition.org...
Production Credits
Producer - Mallory Krieger
Researcher - Danielle Kusner
Script Writer - Stephanie Douglass
Actor - Jade Zaroff
Director, Director of Photography - Anders Gurda
Editing - AVI Weinstein, Anders Gurda
OATS | Organic Agronomy Training Service: www.organicagronomy.org/
Resource Library: www.organicagronomy.org/resou...
Research reported in this video was supported by The Organic Center and the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research under award number TOCFFAR-EXT-002. The content of this video is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of The Organic Center and the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research.