Tag Archive for: analysis

STRI analysis results

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STRI analysis results: British Sugar TOPSOIL’s Sports&Turf topdressing and Sports10 pitch repair medium could help to reduce the use of inorganic fertilizers to encourage grass establishment and growth.

Analysis being carried out at the Sports Turf Research Institute (STRI), under the auspices of Principal Scientist Dr Christian Spring, show that both products contain a plentiful supply of potassium and calcium, together with phosphorus and magnesium.

STRI analysis results

STRI analysis results

These findings have implications for greenkeepers and grounds professionals using soil-based topdressings such as Sports&Turf or pitch repair products such as Sports10. The nutrient loading in the soil component of both products should be taken into account when planning a fertilizer programme as it could reduce the amount of costly inorganic fertilizer required.

National TOPSOIL Manager Andy Spetch has long been an advocate of soil-based dressings and pitch repair products, citing not least their valuable nutrient content in these days of rising fertilizer costs:

“The independent scientific analysis currently being undertaken by the STRI is important as it gives greenkeepers and grounds professionals objective information on which to base their purchasing decisions. Soil-based top dressings such as Sports&Turf and pitch and goalmouth repair products such as Sports10 can play an important part in helping to mitigate the cost of regular golf course and pitch maintenance.”

This latest analysis is just part of a series of trials and studies commissioned by British Sugar TOPSOIL to provide customers with independent scientific information on its products. A study by Cranfield University has recently reported on the soil health of TOPSOIL products, and other work is monitoring their total carbon content and sequestration potential.

All study and trial reports are freely available to view and download on the TOPSOIL Academy section of the website.

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British Sugar TOPSOIL expands analysis

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British Sugar TOPSOIL expands analysis: British Sugar TOPSOIL has long been trusted to provide detailed and current analysis of its soil products to meet and exceed the British Standards for Topsoil and Subsoil.

To further inform and assist customers with their choice of products, the company is now having all its soil and topdressing products tested with new, state-of-the-art, soil microbiology technology that is used in agriculture to determine soil health and fertility.

British Sugar TOPSOIL expands analysis

British Sugar TOPSOIL expands analysis

Detailed analysis under a microscope looks at the levels of bacteria and fungi in TOPSOIL’s products. It is anticipated that, carried out at regular intervals over time, this level of analysis will help build a picture of soil health in terms of living organisms and give TOPSOIL customers yet more important information on which to base their purchasing decisions.

Working with Hampshire-based SoilBioLab, samples of each TOPSOIL product were submitted for analysis, together with a local arable soil, to establish and compare the amount of:

  • Active Bacteria
  • Total Bacteria
  • Active Fungi
  • Total Fungi
  • Hyphal Diameter (a physical measure of the branching filamentous structure of a fungus – in lay terms, the wider the branching structure, the more mature the fungus)

National TOPSOIL Manager Andy Spetch said: “We want to provide as much detailed technical information as possible on our products, which is freely available to anyone on our website. It is too early to draw any conclusions from this first analysis but we anticipate that, over time, we will be able to build a helpful picture of the health and effectiveness our products.”

This first set of results, which can be viewed on the TOPSOIL website at www.bstopsoil.co.uk  in the TOPSOIL Information section under Analysis, Research and Development, are very much a starting point.

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New analysis unlocks soil health

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New analysis unlocks soil health: New soil testing from Eurofins Agro will help farmers and agronomists understand soil in a more detailed way than ever before. The tests have been launched in the UK and Ireland to provide chemical, physical, and biological insight, offering farmers a better way to monitor, manage and improve the health and fertility of their soil.

“Three new products are now available to UK and Irish agriculture. Fertilisation Manager®, Soil Crop Monitor® and Soil Life Monitor® offer the most comprehensive way to analyse and improve soil health,” explains Dan Robinson, Managing Director, Eurofins Agro UK.

New analysis unlocks soil health

New analysis unlocks soil health

Fertilisation Manager measures soil fertility. “This includes the chemical values of macro and micronutrients,” says Mr Robinson. “Soil pH and the overall structure of the soil is also analysed in conjunction with biological components such as fungi and bacteria,” he adds.

The microbial biomass from the sample will help farmers to understand the sensitivity of the soil to conventional farming methods such as ploughing. The number and nature of the bacteria present in a soil sample will also facilitate the accurate calculation of what nutrients need to be added to the soil to optimise plant health and growth.

Soil Crop Monitor will provide the most accurate means of testing soil during a growing season. “Unlike some tests, Soil Crop Monitor analyses both the soil and the plant. This measures the plant available nutrients and the nutrients absorbed by the crop,” says Mr Robinson.

Soil Life Monitor determines the total microbial biomass, fungi, bacteria and protozoa. It also identifies some physical characteristics such as pH and the quality of organic matter. “PLFA (phospholipid fatty acids) found in soil can be measured to provide a fingerprint of the soil content. PLFAs are degraded quickly in the soil, so the analysis gives an indication of the amount of living biomass,” says Mr Robinson. “This is the most detailed routine analysis of soil life available and has countless applications for agriculture. We are therefore excited to make all of these tests available to farmers and growers across the UK and Ireland” he adds.

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