Soilytics

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Soil testing can cooperation many strategies....

Farmers are navigating a new compass.

?? It was a great experience organizing the "Integrating MRV Methodologies and Incentives to Reduce N?O Emissions in Carbon Farming" event with Proba! We are excited by the strong engagement, insightful discussions, and thought-provoking questions that emerged—paving the way for future challenges and solutions in sustainable agriculture. ?? ?? A special thank you to Professor George Zalidis, Director of Research Coordination at i-BEC and Vice President at OPEKEPE, for setting the stage with his opening remarks and leading the discussion. ? We are also grateful to our panel of experts for their valuable contributions: ?? "Integrating MRV methodologies and incentives to reduce N?O emissions in carbon farming" ?? Georgios Galanis, InterBalkan Environment Centre (i-BEC) ?? "Making agri-food supply chains greener: Incentivizing the use of enhanced efficiency fertilizers" ?? Nikos Vellis, Proba ?? Maarten de Haan, FoodchainID ??? "Establishing project-based baselines for robust carbon claims using Earth Observation data" ?? Federica D'Acunto, Uptoearth GmbH (DE) ? "Standard to validate innovations in agricultural testing" ?? Penelope Nagel, IEEE Standards Association ? Huge thanks to our team Daphne Kitsou, Kostas Karyotis, and Paraskevi Chantzi for their dedication in making this event impactful. A special shoutout to Project Credible for their ongoing efforts in advancing carbon farming initiatives! ?? Looking forward to the next steps in driving climate-resilient agriculture forward! ????

Good soil vs Bad soil

We are excited to be presenting at the 2nd European Carbon Farming Summit.?Disruptive AgTech Working Group forming. Join us next week to learn more. 4-6 March 2025 https://lnkd.in/edqCpwKm #IEEE #GRSS #Standardization #agtech #agriculturetechnology #carbonfarming #Carbonmonitoring #agriculture #nutrientmonitoring #innovation #farmingtechnology #sustainableagriculture #privateequity #soilhealth #investment #nutrientmanagement #soil #USDA #soiltesting #protocol #PhotonicsWest #SPIE #SoilHealth #sustainability

SOIL Water-Holding Capacity Soils must be able to retain moisture for plant growth. Soil moisture should be available to plants while maintaining proper aeration (not waterlogged) to support photosynthesis, transpiration, and nutrient uptake. Maintaining adequate soil moisture during the growing season is critical for nutrient use efficiency. Soils with moisture deficiency, such as sandy soils, exhibit low water-holding capacity and high evaporation rates. The goal of soil moisture management is to maximize rainwater intake and maintain soil moisture near field capacity throughout the growing season. Strategies to Maintain Soil Water Content: Planting cover crops to slow runoff Mulching with crop residues or plastic sheets to reduce evaporation losses and prevent drought stress, especially in subhumid regions No-tillage practices with crop residue mulch on medium to coarse-textured soils to improve rainwater infiltration and reduce evaporation Early sowing at the onset of the rainy season to optimize soil moisture use Adjusting planting density to maximize soil moisture efficiency Relay cropping and intercropping to maximize water use during the rainy season Runoff harvesting and microcatchments to enhance soil moisture storage Light tillage on crusted and compacted soils using a hand hoe or chisel plow to improve rainwater infiltration Planting tree or grass barriers along contour bunds and terraces to reduce runoff and soil erosion on slopes Recommended species: *Leucaena (Leucaena leucocephala) – A fast-growing leguminous tree *Vetiver (Vetiveria spp.) – A deep-rooting grass widely used for soil and water conservation in humid and subhumid region By implementing these strategies, farmers can improve soil moisture retention, enhance crop productivity, and promote sustainable land management.

Where does your fertilizer come from?

Role of biocrusts as a living soil shield ????? DID YOU KNOW? ?? Biological soil crusts (biocrusts) are living soil surfaces composed of various microorganisms, lichens, and bryophytes that form a protective layer on soil surfaces, playing crucial roles in soil stabilization, water retention, and nutrient cycling. ? The first biocrusts appeared around 2.4 billion years ago, followed much later by eukaryotic algae, lichens, and bryophytes. ?? Biocrusts represent complete ecosystems, consisting of: -> photoautotrophic organisms as producers, -> heterotrophic microorganisms as decomposers, -> various small animals as consumers. ?? Modern biocrusts demonstrate remarkable adaptations to harsh conditions like desiccation and high UV radiation, which developed before the emergence of macroscopic plants. ?? While contributing only about 1% of terrestrial net primary productivity, biocrusts are responsible for an estimated ~25-50% of biological terrestrial nitrogen fixation globally. ?? Biocrusts formations are particularly vulnerable to global change, with even minor alterations in precipitation patterns potentially causing detrimental effects on dominant species composition. Image: evolution of biocrusts on lands (credits: Weber et al. 2016; DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-30214-0_2). #soil #biology

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