Q: With the latest DNA sequencing technologies, do we have the ability to determine the volume of soil microbes in a sample, as opposed to just types? And then, how do we decide whether we’re going to try to enhance those populations?
A: Yes, when you extract DNA from different soils or composts, the amount of DNA you can get out is a strong indicator of the amount of life in that soil. I’ve tested soils where I couldn’t get any DNA out of them. And then with other ones, like vermicompost, there’s just tons of DNA. It’s not a super sharp measurement, but it is a very good indicator of how much fertility and life there is in that soil.
In my experience, what you’re primarily looking for is a lot of diversity. There are computational measurements that can represent how much diversity there is. So there’s ways for us to start getting our heads around what these complex data actually mean.
As we collect data, we’re going to become aware of a lot things these microbes have been doing that we didn’t even have a clue about. We continue to gain insight. We didn’t know 100 years ago that there were these thousands and thousands of microbes living in the soil. Our understanding of soil and microbes and human health — and how it’s impacted by microbes — has taken leaps and bounds in the past 20 years. And I expect that as we start to apply this to agriculture, that same thing will happen.
However complex we think it is, it’s way more complex and beautiful than that. That’s the only thing I know for sure.
From Dr. Laura Kavanaugh, at the 2023 Acres U.S.A. conference. Learn more from Dr. Kavanaugh and many others at our 2024 conference: events.acresusa.com.
