Less intensive farming works best for agricultural soil
The less intensively you manage the soil, the better the soil can function. Such as not ploughing as often or using more grass-clover mixtures as cover crops. These are the…
New Soil Carbon Measurement Method Could Boost Trust in Carbon Credit Markets
Direct soil carbon measurement techniques are being explored as a method to improve accuracy in carbon credit markets, especially in agriculture. Measuring stored soil carbon rather than relying on predictive…
A leaky sink: Carbon emissions from forest soil will likely grow with rising temperatures
The soils of northern forests are key reservoirs that help keep the carbon dioxide that trees inhale and use for photosynthesis from making it back into the atmosphere. But a…
It’s a rave: Underground acoustics amplify soil health
Barely audible to human ears, healthy soils produce a cacophony of sounds in many forms — a bit like an underground rave concert of bubble pops and clicks. Special recordings…
At least one in four US residential yards exceed new EPA lead soil level guideline
Roughly one in four U.S. households have soil exceeding the new U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s lead screening levels of 200 parts per million (ppm), halved from the previous level of…
New class of antimicrobials discovered in soil bacteria
Researchers have discovered toxic protein particles, shaped like umbrellas, that soil bacteria known as Streptomyces secrete to squelch competitors, especially others of their own species. The discovery of the umbrella…
Manganese plays a surprising role in soil carbon sequestration
Manganese in the soil of boreal forests has been found to work against the carbon storage capacity of these crucial northern habitats. Located predominantly in cold regions at high latitude,…