What
We can now measure your soil’s respiration rate. From this we can evaluate your soil's ability to fix its own Nitrogen. This allows producers/farmers to apply only what Nitrogen is required, if any. The major benefits are cost savings, fine tuning nitrogen applications by only applying as little as needed. Balance is key. Too much Nitrogen destroys Carbon. Too much Carbon locks up Nitrogen.
How
The CO2-Burst is proportional to microbial biomass and directly tied to potential carbon and nitrogen mineralisation.
Why measure CO2 respiration?
● CO2 respiration is an indicator of soil health
The rate and quantity of CO2 release over a specific period is generally regarded as an accurate indicator of biological attributes favouring Soil Health. The “turnover rate” of CO2 from soil rises with improved management practices. Such practices include cover cropping, reduced tillage and organic amendments which assist to build soil residual organic matter and plant litter, the food base of soil microbes and invertebrates.
● CO2 respiration is an indicator of potential nutrients
Measuring the rate of carbon exchange via soil respiration is indirectly linked to nutrient “mineralisation” – the potential release of nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus that are components of plant residues, microbes and humus.
How soil and plants interact
Soil and plants interact in the search for and supply of nutrients. Soil provides the environment for plant growth while plants participate in building and sustaining soils by releasing exudates and leaving behind their own residues. This dynamic cycle is best described as the soil-plant-biology system. In the process, humus is formed and carbon dioxide (CO2) is released due to microbial activity. The relationship between these processes is the bedrock of lasting soil fertility. Declining rates of CO2 respiration are associated with intensive tilling, compaction and over fertilising. Soil practices which are destructive act to inhibit the soil’s ability to sustain its humus content, the natural reservoir of organic nutrients and soil life. As soil quality declines, microbes food supply diminishes and the rate of CO2 respiration declines. Therefore, being able to evaluate the turnover of organic matter via CO2 respiration is important for a number of reasons.
Why is CO2 respiration important?
Soil CO2 respiration has been known to be an indicator of soil quality since as early as the 1920’s. Research in Europe after the 50’s helped standardise lab analytical procedures even before practical application was understood. By the 1970’s soil respiration tests were seen as useful indices to compare results of differing soil management strategies. Unfortunately, it was not until more recently that CO2 respiration was more broadly recognised to be a crucial trait linking microbial activity to healthy soil,- a complete cycle based on overall soil biota. No other test can claim this universality. All this combines into a huge potential impact for measuring and addressing the implications of soil CO2 turnover. In the not-too-distant future soil respiration results will provide a useful key to leveraging natural fertility to save significantly on nitrogen fertiliser dollars and help bolster farming’s environmental commitment.
