Working towards healthy soil in agriculture is like solving a complex jigsaw puzzle, where all the pieces must fit together and be balanced. The Soil Health Indicator helps farmers and land managers gain control of this puzzle by providing accurate data to tackle challenges from nutrient management planning to carbon sequestration.
Healthy soil is the foundation of food quality and food security. It contributes to more resilient crops, cleaner water, sustainable production, greater biodiversity, and helps to store carbon and reduce CO2 emissions. These factors help farmers and land managers run businesses that are more environmentally and financially sustainable.
Healthy soils make significant contribution to the sustainable development goals (SDGs) of the United Nations.
A healthy soil has great benefits for your business. Why is this so and what measures can you take as a farmer or grower?
Healthy soil is crucial for food quality, resilient crops, clean water, sustainable production, and biodiversity in the agri-food industry.
Eurofins underpins its tests and advice on scientific knowledge. We have published several articles on soil health.
Score A simple method to assess soil health. The A-B-C-D-E score provides quick insight into soil health status and the impact of actions taken. Each letter represents a specific soil condition.
Determines how well soil retains and exchanges nutrients. High CEC means soil can hold essential nutrients like calcium, magnesium, and potassium. Elements like aluminum and hydrogen can negatively affect soil fertility.
Essential for plant and microorganism growth. Elements like zinc, copper, iron, and manganese are crucial for photosynthesis, enzyme activity, and nutrient uptake.
Diverse soil life is vital for healthy soil. Microorganisms help build or break down organic material, release nutrients, and improve soil structure.
Contamination by heavy metals like lead, cadmium, and chromium harms soil health. These metals can be toxic to beneficial organisms and disrupt nutrient uptake.
Fertilisation recommendations for up to six crops is generated based on all analysis results in the package. By working with expected yields, advice can be tailored and adjusted up or down if necessary.
Recommendations to invest in healthy and resilient soil for the future. This includes improving pH, optimising soil fertility, balancing the nutrients bound to the CEC to improve soil structure, and guidelines to maintain or improve the soil’s organic matter status.
Soil Health Indicator provides insight into various sodium indicators (plant-available sodium (Na), Sodium Absorption Ratio (SAR), and the percentage of exchangeable sodium (ESP)). In addition to sodium, other salts are also displayed, summarised in electrical conductivity (EC). All this data helps in taking measures such as crop selection or applying gypsum to prevent damage.
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