Soil Health Analysis

The Haney soil health test integrates chemical and biological measurements to assess the soil nutrient status, microbial biomass and aspects of the microbial habitat to determine overall soil health. This procedure uses a dual extraction procedure to closely mimic natural nutrient availability to both microbes and plants in the soil environment. Using an integrated approach, the Haney test can assess a soil’s condition, determine if the soil is in balance and provide information for making recommendations aimed to improve soil health.

Provides: 
Water extractable organic carbon
Water extractable total and organic nitrogen
H3A Phosphorus (organic, inorganic, total)
H3A Minerals (aluminum, ammonium, calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, nitrate, potassium, sodium, sulfur, zinc)
Soil Respiration (ppm CO₂)
pH
Organic Matter (LOI %)
Excess Lime
Soluble Salts

Sampling Instructions

Sample Submittal Forms

How do producers receive feedback on their regenerative journey, while simultaneously getting data which can be employed to aid in management decisions?  The Regen Ag Lab Certified Test combines two separate Haney Tests performed at a 0-6 inch and 6-12 inch depth from the same field followed by a comparison between the two depths to provide you with a Regen Ag Lab Certified Score.  This score is independent of your county, neighbors, or your other fields and accounts for variability in soil types, climate, and current weather conditions.  Therefore, the Regen Ag Lab Certified process allows you to track change in individual fields where your management zone (0-6) is scored against your baseline (6-12), while still receiving individual soil health metrics and soil fertility recommendations.

Provides: 
Haney Test for both depths
Regen Ag Lab Certified Score

Sampling Instructions

Sample Submittal Forms

Carbon is often measured only in the solid phase, either by soil organic matter or dry combustion techniques.  However, carbon exists in three phases: Solid, Liquid, and Gas.  The Microbial Carbon Capture process allows us to look at all three phases at the same time as a measure of soil respiration (gas phase), water soluble organic carbon (liquid phase), and soil organic matter (solid phase) as performed as part of the Haney Test.  Therefore, the Microbial Carbon Capture uses the same process as the Regen Ag Lab Certified Test with a full Haney Test analysis at both a 0-6 inch and 6-12 inch depth to provide you with a Microbial Carbon Capture Score.  If combined with the Regen Ag Lab Certified process, the cost is only $25.

Provides: 
Haney Test for both depths
Microbial Carbon Capture (Organic C, T/A)

Sampling Instructions

Sample Submittal Forms

Phospholipid Fatty Acids (PLFA) are the main components of living microbial cell membranes. Each functional group, determined by their similar roles and identified by their unique PLFA compositions, can indicate the microbial community structure and biomass at the time of sampling. A microbial community structure is strongly impacted by the plant community, environmental conditions (i.e. pH, moisture, temperature, etc.), soil characteristics (i.e. soil type, organic matter, etc.) and soil management practices (i.e. tillage, cover crops, etc.), adding an indication of the impact of management practices on the soil microbiology and, in turn, nutrient cycling in the soil. Commonly, samples from different soil managements are compared to identify changes or continuous, yearly samples of the same areas are tested to help support soil health improvement over time.

Provides: 
Bacteria (Gram (+) and Gram (-))
Fungi (Arbuscular Mycorrhizae and Saprophytes)
Protozoa
Undifferentiated Microbial Groups

Sampling Instructions

Sample Submittal Forms

The Total Nutrient Digest (TND) is a measure of the soil’s net worth when it comes to nutrients.  While most extract tests provide you with what is “available”, the TND provides you with the nutrient potential of your soil.

Provides: 
Carbon
Nitrogen
Phosphorus
Potassium
Calcium
Magnesium
Sulfur
Zinc
Iron
Manganese
Copper
Boron
Molybdenum

Sampling Instructions

Sample Submittal Forms

Wet aggregate stability is a necessary physical soil property that can indicate a soil’s ability to resist disturbances from physical and chemical forces, store water, allow the movement of air and water, and influence the growth and form of roots. This method tests the stability of two classes of aggregates: macroaggregates (2mm – 0.25 mm) and microaggrgates (0.25 mm – 0.053 mm) and provides an overall aggregation percentage.

Provides: 
Macroaggregates, 2 mm – 0.25 mm (%)
Microaggregates, 0.25 mm – 0.053 mm (%)
Total Wet Stable Aggregates (%)

Sampling Instructions

Sample Submittal Forms

Soil enzymes are catalysts produced by soil biology to aid in the decomposition of organic matter and cycling of nutrients in the soil. Specific enzymes are produced to breakdown and release plant available nutrients. Monitoring the activity of certain enzymes can help assess the ability of a soil to cycle nutrients. Soil enzymes are strongly influenced by the soil environment (i.e. soil texture, organic matter, etc.) and soil management practices (ie. Tillage, cover crops, etc.). Soil enzyme activity is express as pNP g^-1 soil h^-1. Below are brief descriptions of each enzyme offered.

Beta-glucosidase (BG)

Beta-glucosidase (BG) releases glucose from cellulose in the soil. Cellulose, a basic structural part of plant cell walls, is composed of a glucose chain that is broken down into individual glucose molecules by BG activity.  Glucose is an important, easily accessible energy source for microbes and is closely related to organic carbon shifts in the soil environment.

N-Acetylglucosaminidase (NAG)

N-acetylglucosaminidase (NAG), also known as β-glucosaminidase, releases NAG units, or amino sugars from chitin, the structure of insect and arthropod exoskeletons, and fungi and bacteria cell walls. In the soil, chitin is an important source of organic nitrogen and is closely related to carbon and nitrogen cycling in the soil.

Phosphodiesterase (PHD)

Phosphodiesterase (PHD) releases phosphate monoesters from nucleic acids, phospholipids and other diesters in the soil. These organic P sources must be broken down by PHD before acid or alkaline phosphatase enzymes can release plant available phosphorus in the soil environment. Thus, PHD is closely related to organic P cycling in soil.

Acid or Alkaline Phosphatase (AcP, AlkP)

Acid and alkaline phosphatases (AcP and AlkP, respectively), collectively referred to as phosphatases, releases plant available phosphorus in the soil. Although these enzymes perform the same function in the soil, their structure differs slightly to improve efficiency under differing soil pH. Although both enzymes can be present in the soil, the predominant soil pH is often indicative of the predominant enzyme activity.

Arylsulfatase (ARS)

Arylsulfatase (ARS) releases sulfates from ester sulfates in the soil. Ester sulfates represent a large proportion of organic sulfur in soils, requiring ARS activity to release sulfates for plant uptake and can indicate sulfur cycling in the soil.

Sampling Instructions

Sample Submittal Forms

Water Holding Capacity (WHC) measures the field capacity and wilting point of a soil to provide an estimate of the quantity of water that may be available to crops. This soil property is strongly influenced by soil texture and organic matter and can be a valuable tool in water management strategies.

Provides: 
WHC (g water/g soil)
WHC (inch of water/inch of soil)
WHC (inch of water/depth of sample)

Sampling Instructions

Sample Submittal Forms

Permanganate oxidizable carbon (POXC) is a measure of the biologically active carbon fraction of the soil.  This portion of carbon often contains easily consumed energy sources, such as plant sugars, polysaccharides, and glomalin, that fuels microbial activity. POXC quickly responds to soil management changes and can provide an early indication of practices that promote stabilization of organic matter. 

Provides: 
POXC (mg kg^-1 soil)

Sampling Instructions

Sample Submittal Forms