Woods End Laboratories, Inc. Holistic Testing of Soils and Composts

For 36 years Woods End Laboratories (Mount Vernon, Maine) has pursued innovation in the field of soil and compost testing. Founded by Dr. Will Brinton who studied agriculture in the US…

For 36 years Woods End Laboratories (Mount Vernon, Maine) has pursued innovation in the field of soil and compost testing. Founded by Dr. Will Brinton who studied agriculture in the US and Europe, the laboratory’s goal has been developing holistic analytical methods to accurately reflect important biological parameters of soils and composts. One of the outcomes of this effort is a kit called Solvita® which detects CO2 and Ammonia (NH3). This kit has important and very practical applications for composting and soil management.

Measuring carbon dioxide (CO2) respiration is a direct means to gauge turnover of organic matter in both composts and soils. In compost, high CO2 respiration is a sign of active degradation (not yet completed composting. Solvita provides a useful means to see where your compost is at in the process. A before/after sequence indicates fresh compost and completed compost (60 days).

Caption: Ammonia Emission being tested in a Backhus customer compost

BACKHUS 16.55

Duffy Layton, Inc. Stanfordville NY 12581 USA
Duffy Layton is using a BACKHUS Turner and is testing his compost soil with Solvita — the perfect combination for producing superb compost

We report the CO2-burst test in 1) measuring of soil biological response following staggered applications of aged manure, and 2) in monitoring background soil N-mineralization as indicated by control plot yield studies. Additions of manure had consistent biological responses suggesting longer term N-mineralization contributions. Widespread adoption of the new test may be cost-effective for soil labs, potentially saving farmers money on fertilization, and reducing nutrient pressure on surface and groundwater.

SOLVITA for SOIL QUALITY

In soil, CO2 respiration reflects the interaction of crop and manure additions, soil tillage and climate. It has been recently discovered in collaborative USDA trials, that the flush of carbon dioxide shown by Solvita following rewetting of dried soil relates to active organic pools and correlates to soil microbial biomass. Soil microbial biomass plays a critical role in controlling the supply of N to crops. This means that the Solvita test used in soils helps validate positive effects that composters aspire to in selling composts into agriculture.
Recent collaboration between University of Maine Extension and Woods End Labs is showing how applications of compost to soil result in fundamental biological changes that support future yields.

Field Trial

Solvita Soil/Compost trials with corn at University of Maine's Highmoor Farm in Monmouth, Maine USA.

Visit: www.solvita.com and Follow on Twitter for more information.

Woods End Laboratories, Inc. Holistic Testing of Soils and Composts

Caption: Ammonia Emission being tested in a Backhus customer compost

BACKHUS 16.55

SOLVITA for SOIL QUALITY

Field Trial

BACKHUS DC 50

Woods End Laboratories, Inc. Holistic Testing of Soils and Composts

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