The Maine Soil Testing Service and Analytical Laboratory analyzes research and commercial samples. This presentation will explain soil testing, describe the concept of soil health, and describe the role soils play in many ecosystem processes. A Q&A session will follow the presentation.
The Maine Soil Testing Service and Analytical Laboratory provides testing services on a fee-for-service basis. We analyze research samples for students and staff at the University of Maine and other colleges and universities and at federal agencies such as the Forest Service, the Agricultural Research Service, and the National Park Service. The lab also provides crucial support across all agricultural sectors in Maine: potato, blueberry, dairy, diversified vegetables, grains, and more. Annually over 3000 of our customers are home gardeners, some of whom depend on their gardens for food. We typically analyze over 16,000 soil samples, over 250 compost samples, and over 500 manure samples every year as well as plant tissue and a wide variety of other materials. Among those tests are soil carbon and soil organic matter, which is about 50% carbon. The amount of organic matter in a soil is a key to soil health and plant productivity.
A healthy soil is one that has the continued capacity to function as a vital living ecosystem that sustains plants, animals and humans. Soil organic matter holds nutrients, most importantly nitrogen, needed in high quantities by plants. Organic matter also improves a soil’s ability to absorb and hold water. Soil organic matter also stores a great deal of carbon, more than the carbon in the atmosphere and all plant life combined. Researchers are studying whether increasing the level of organic matter in soils can help decrease atmospheric carbon in order to moderate climate change. This is a valuable measurement for researchers and land managers who look to soil organic matter either to lessen climate change and to improve soil productivity. Healthy soils are a fundamental part of producing healthy food and of sustaining healthy ecosystems for forest productivity, for wildlife, and for many of the recreational activities we enjoy in Maine.
What’s in your soil? Join the Analytical Laboratory and Maine Soil Testing Service to learn more about Maine soil.