Why Soil Test kit Is Required To Test Microbial Biomass In The Soil?

Posted by Micro Biometer on December 13th, 2019

A soil test is an important method to know how well the soil is well prepared to grow crops. Soil testing can yield important information for growers and grazers about the general health, fertility, structure and physical properties of any given land and its suitability for different crops. With the efficient record-keeping system like soil testing, modern farmers can build up knowledge about the characteristics of their farm and individual fields.

 In the late 1940s, soil testing became an important practice to determine the need for fertilizer and the presence of microbes in the United States. Soil microbe testing in the USA is an important procedure to determine the recommended nutrients in agriculture projects. A soil test provides recommendations for essential nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and limestone.

There are many benefits of soil testing which allows for comprehensive approaches to fertilizing the piece of farm.

Benefits of Soil Test

1. Over fertilization- Applying fertilizer to your soil without knowing the exact and actual nutrients will cause environmental damages. Over fertilization might result in water pollution, nutrient leaching and irreversible harm to aquatic life. The overuse of fertilizers poses a threat to the life of crops as well as humans. A simple test is recommended to determine soil quality and prevent environmental pollution.

2. Soil degradation- A general research shows that each year more than 24 billion tones of fertile soil are lost because of erosion. In addition to this, land degradation affects the livelihoods and health of an estimated 1.5 million people. Soil microbe test can somehow prevent soil degradation where before anything you can add soil fertilizer for soil restoration. It is important to pull a soil test once a year. The soil pH will change over time from rain events that wash away basic ions ac calcium, magnesium, potassium and sodium.

3. Productivity- The current population puts more pressure on the soil than ever before. There is a need for fertile soil to produce crops that will feed the world’s ever-growing population. Improved soil health implies more crops and brings a better life to millions of people across the world.

A Microbial Biomass Soil Test is done to know bacteria and fungi, which decompose crop residues and organic matter in the soil. It is the process which releases nutrients like nitrogen available for plant uptake

  The microbial biomass consists mostly of bacteria and fungi which decompose crop residues and organic matter in the soil. This process is essential for plants to absorb essential nutrients in the soil available for plant uptake. Another factor worth noticing is, type of crop can also affect the microbial biomass, like legume crops, which can increase microbial biomass due to their greater nitrogen contents. Rotations that have longer pasture phases generally increase microbial biomass because soil disturbance is reduced organically. Therefore, a microbial biomass soil test is required to confirm the availability of this in the soil.